Lost in the Dark
by SilenceIsGolden15
Summary: Fairy tales are lies. They hide the dark truth that surrounds us every day, making think we are safe when we are not. Dont be fooled anymore. Because if you let yourself be fooled for too long, theres no telling when the truth might just jump out and grab you by the throat.
1. Chapter 1

Lost in the Dark

When was the last time you heard a bedtime story?

Not a sissy, Disney sponsored fairy tale, but an actual story with ghosts and monsters and witches disguised as little old ladies, so real they made your heart pound with terror. The ones that made you force your mom or dad to check under your bed for monsters at night. Remember what they used to tell you? Something along the lines of, 'Monsters aren't real, sweetie, go back to sleep.' And after they'd told you that three or four times, you started believing them.

You grew up, you no longer thought there were monsters under the bed, or hiding in your closet. You stopped reading those stories, stopped thinking about them. What happened to Cinders Ella, so called because she sat in the ashes and cried, or Little Red Riding Hood, cut out of the wolfs stomach so she could have the honor of killing the wolf? They were replaced, with happy Disney covers that made everything seem all fun and romantic and happily ever after.

The real stories were left in the dark corners of the bookshelves, waiting for someone to read them again, to come back and realize the truth that was hidden in their pages.

Do you still have those moments when you believe there are monsters, hiding in your room, right beneath your nose? But if you do, you tell yourself, "Monsters aren't real." Have you ever watched a scary movie, and then seen shadows moving about your bed as you tried to sleep? "Ghosts aren't real." You told yourself. When you're out camping, and you look up at the full moon and hear a wolf howl. A chill goes down your spine, and you remember Little Red Riding Hood.

Have you ever looked at an apple, and wonder how Snow White felt when she realized she had been tricked as she fell into her slumber? Or how the hunter felt, when he was ordered to cut out such a lovely girls heart and take it to the queen. Or how she felt when she was told to run, and had become lost in the dark.

Don't forget these stories. Dig them out of your bookshelves, dig them from your memories, excavate them from your attic. Because they tell you the truth that you have been hiding from yourself your whole life. The truth is, these things are real. Ghosts, ghouls, witches, apparitions of shadow hovering by your bedside. They are real. They exist, in the here and now. Stop fooling yourself.

Put away the fairy tales. Take out the stories. Maybe, if you're lucky and you use what these books have to tell you, you won't become the one lost and hunted in the dark.

(A/N PROLOUGE! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

UNC-

Silence)


	2. Chapter 2

Max PoV

I sat in English at the end of the day, idly twirling a pencil between my fingers. You know how the end of the day is, alternately staring out the window and at the clock until class finally ends. But right before, as in two seconds before the bell rang, the demonic teacher assigns us a project. Apparently we had to do something along the lines of…. I have no idea. Eh, I'll just ask Fang after school.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and left with the final bell, heading to my locker. When I got there, I saw just the person I wanted to talk to leaning against it. "Hey Fang." I said as I piled my seemingly endless amounts of homework into my bag. "Hey Max." Yeah, my names Maximum. Kind of an odd name, but not as bad as Fang, or his brother Iggy. Or their sister Nudge. What can I say, their parents are a little hippy-dippy.

"Do you have any clue what that succubus of a woman assigned us?" I asked as we headed towards the doors, referring to our satanic English teacher. Fang nodded and brushed some of his black hair off of his forehead. "Apparently we have to find some super old, classic book somewhere in our house or library, read it, and write an essay on it." He explained in his deep voice. I groaned. I did NOT like reading. "Man up, it's not that bad." He said, his black eyes sparkling a little with amusement. I scowled at him. Unlike me, Fang could actually read at a decent pace.

"Yeah, whatever emo boy." I grumbled, making my usual jab at his all black ensemble. He gave me a playful glare, but didn't retaliate. We made our way outside to the pick-up line, where we met up with Fangs siblings. Iggy was Fangs fraternal twin, and looked nothing like him. He had super light strawberry blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and skin that looked like it had never seen the sun. Him and Fang were both scarily tall, Iggy edging Fang out by an inch at 6'1, which is creepy for a pair of 15 year olds. Their adopted little sister Nudge was about 5'4 at 13, with mocha skin and super curly brown hair that matched her tawny eyes. I myself was 15, and 5'9. Freakish, but still not enough to match the Tremendously Tall Twins.

"Hey Igs, hey Nudge." I said as we walked up. Fang just nodded to them, in true Fang style. They greeted us, and we gathered in a group to wait for our rides.

Fangs PoV

Everything was going as it usually does: jokes, taunts, the occasional playful insult. Until Max saw something. Her brown eyes hardened and narrowed into a glare. When I turned to see who it was, I felt a scowl grow on my face. Her brother Ari had come to pick her up. Usually it was her mom, and I don't know what Valencia was thinking when she told Ari to do it instead. Him and Max, though they shared the dirty blonde hair, tan skin, and brown eyes, didn't have a good relationship.

A couple of years ago, Ari had come home drunk and high in the middle of the night while their mom Valencia was working an overnight shift. Max hid their little siblings to keep them safe. He had looked for Angel and Gazzy (their little brother and sister) but when he couldn't find them, he went after Max. He put her in the hospital for a month, and left bruises that didn't heal for another one. After that, he had moved out. But about a month ago he had come back, claiming to be alright again. Max didn't trust him a bit. And I don't blame her.

"Yo, Max!" the seventeen year old yelled from the window. "I see you, dipwad!" Max shouted back, then begrudgingly started towards the car. I would have offered her a ride, but I knew she didn't want to seem weak, especially in front of Ari. I was the only one who knew that she was still secretly terrified of him. So I didn't say anything as she climbed in the car.

Maxs PoV

The first few minutes of the car ride were silent. "So," I said eventually, "Wheres Mom?" "She had to work late." Ari said. "She asked me to pick you up." "I could have gotten a ride from Fang." I pointed out. "I'm just doing what Mom told me to do." I rolled my eyes and turned to stare out the window.

When we finally got home, I was moving to get out of the car when Ari grabbed my elbow. I froze, immediately coiling tight as a spring. "Max." he said softly. "I really didn't mean what I did that night, you know that." I drew in a shaky breath. "I don't care what you meant." I snarled. "All that matters is what you did." With that I wrenched my arm free and stomped into the house.

As soon as I was in the front door I was attacked by an eight year old and a six year old. "Hey guys." I said happily, kneeling down to just below Angels (the six year olds) level. "How was your day?" "Great!" Angel said happily. "We made clay pots in Art!" Gazzy proclaimed, proudly holding up a misshapen clay object. "Wow, Gazzy! That looks amazing!" I took it from him gingerly and made a big show of examining it. "You definitely have to show Mom when she gets home." I said as I handed It back. Just then, Ari walked inside.

Gazzy's PoV

My sister immediately ran to Ari, throwing her arms around his leg, blonde curls bouncing. But I was a little more wary of him than my sister. I still remember something happening with Ari a long time ago. I remember Max waking us up in the middle of the night, hiding us and telling us not to come out until she got back. I remember hearing Ari yelling, Max yelling back, then a bunch of crashing and thumps. I remember Max screaming. Then Ari had disappeared for a long time, and come back out of nowhere. Now Max never seemed to be able to relax with Ari in the same room. She would try to fake it, but she was wound tight as a string constantly when he was around.

And I can't help but wonder what he did that forced her to do that.

Maxs PoV

After I finished my obscene amounts of homework, I climbed up to the attic in search of an old book. The attic was dark, damp, and dusty. No one really came up here anymore, so there were cobwebs and dust covering everything. I didn't really mind. I walked over to a box marked BOOKS and dug through it. After a short search I found one that seemed promising. It was old and moth-eaten, and once I had brushed the dust off of the embossed gold cover, I could read the title.

Written in swirling, Gothic print was the words _Grimm's Fairy Tales_. Hmmmm, seems like what I'm looking for. I brought it back downstairs to my bedroom, sat on my bed, opened the book across my lap, and started reading.

(A/N Soooooo whatcha think?

UNC-

Silence)


	3. Chapter 3

Maxs PoV

I don't know how long I read for before I started nodding off. Eventually, I fell asleep and into a, I guess you could say dream. I was walking down the halls of my school, which were empty. I was used to the normal madness of a school hallway, so the silence was a little unnerving. My footsteps echoed loudly on the tiled floors, bouncing around so that it sounded like there was someone behind me, but when I turned there was nothing.

With a shrug, I brushed it off and continued walking. Suddenly I stopped dead as I heard high pitched, little girl giggles coming from one of the classrooms. Slowly, I moved forward and peered through the window on the door. There were three little girls inside of the same age. They had shiny Mary Janes and ribbons in their hair. Still laughing, they joined hands and started skipping in a circle, chanting a childhood rhyme.

_Ring around a rosie_

_Pocket full of posies_

_Ashes ashes_

_we all fall down_

But they didn't stop there, instead continuing on.

_Ring around a rosie,_

_what do you suppose we_

_Do the fight the darkness_

_In which we drown_

_Ring around a rosie_

_This evil thing it knows me_

_Lost souls surround me_

_I cant fall down_

Then they started shrieking as loud as they could, pulling and yanking on each other's hands, but unable to let go of each other. It was almost as if they had been super glued together. Their screams were piercing and full of terror, and they had tears of fright on their cheeks as they attempted to free themselves from the others' death grip. Slowly, I began to distinguish words in their cries.

"Let me go! He's coming for me! He'll get me! Let go!"

"He knows I'm here! He can see me! Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! I can't run away!"

"He sees ALL of us! All of us! None of us can get away!"

They all froze. Slowly, ever so slowly, they turned to face the window through which I was still watching, unable to move.

"He sees ALL of us." Said the first girl sweetly.

"He knows ALL of us." The second girl said with a sick grin.

"NONE of us can get away." Said the third.

The floor disappeared, turning into a black void that the girls fell into, still holding hands in a circle. They started screaming again, not screams of fear. Screams of laughter. That's when I woke up.

I was laying on my bed, the book still open next to me. Slowly, I sat up, some of the girls words still echoing in my mind. Almost against my will, I murmured to myself, "This evil thing it knows me." Was that 'evil thing' the 'he' the girls kept talking about?

Now under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be scared of a dream. But for some reason this had shaken me to the core. I was pale and jittery, my heart racing. The creepiest part wasn't the girls screaming, or even the threats, though those were still pretty freaky. The scariest part was the rhyme. I mean, the original itself was bad enough (it's about the Black Plague) , but the added verses gave a new meaning to the rhyme. What the hell was going on in my subconscious?

There was a knock on my bedroom door, making me jump and adrenaline poured into my veins for half a second. "C-come in." I called, embarrassed at the slight stutter in my voice. The door opened, and my mom walked in, making me wonder how long I had been asleep for. "Mom? What time is it?" I asked, knowing she had been working the overnight shift. "About 5:30 A.M" she said. In my mind, I swore. I only had an hour more to sleep.

"I saw your light was still on and came to make sure everything was alright." She explained, sitting on the edge of my bed. Suddenly I felt exhausted. "Yeah, everything's fine." I said. "I was doing some homework and fell asleep." She gave me a tired smile. "Well alright. Goodnight." She kissed me on the forehead and left, closing the door behind her. I sighed and fell back on the bed, pulling the blanket up to my shoulders.

I just had time to hope I wouldn't dream again before dropping off.

Time Skip

When my alarm went off at 6:30, I was relieved to find that I hadn't dreamed again. Casting the thought of the creepy little girls from my mind, I started getting ready with my usual early morning lethargy. About a half hour later, I was about to walk out the door when I spotted the book on my bed. For some reason, I felt apprehensive about it, but stubbornly shook it off and shoved the thing into my backpack.

I climbed into the car, once again being driven by Ari (growl) and I was off to school. Ari and I didn't speak the whole time, though I could feel him glance at me from time to time. When we pulled up, I snatched my bag and practically leapt from the car. "Hey Max!" That was Fang, standing near the bench where we usually met up in the morning. Iggy and Nudge were with him.

"Hey guys." I greeted when I reached it. "So, Fang, what are you reading for the devil teachers assignment?" He reached into his own black backpack and pulled out an older looking copy of Dracula. "Classy." I remarked. "Yeah." He said with a smirk. "What about you?" I silently handed my book to him. "Hey!" Iggy exclaimed, snatching the volume from Fangs hands. "Our mom used to read these to us when we were little! You remember, Fang?" Fang nodded while my eyebrows rose. "Your mom read you those?" I had read the most of the first one, and let me tell you, they are definitely not made by Disney. Iggy nodded, a nostalgic look overtaking his features. "She didn't want us to be fooled by the modern fairytales of happily ever after."

I nodded. "But they did give us some crazy dreams." My head shot up. Iggy glanced at Fang. "Do you remember those?" "Yeah." Fang said. "But we hadn't had them in, what, 5 years?" "What kinds of dreams?" I asked. Iggy shrugged. "Little girls with tales of doom, bloody glass, people with their eyes missing, the general creepy stuff." Ok, so Fang and Iggys parents had read them these stories, and had weird dreams. I start reading them, and have the exact same dream? Before I could ponder this further, the bell rang, and I had to put my musings to the side for the moment. Though the strange feeling of foreboding didn't go away.

(A/N Ta-da. There will be a few more creepy, mystery chapters, then the real horror stuff. Review.

UNC-

Silence)


	4. Chapter 4

Maxs PoV

The day passed slowly. So bored was I that I completely forgot about my creepy dream. At the end of the day, I was once again zoning out of the English teachers lecture and staring out the window. The windows were right behind the teacher's desk, so she would think I was listening to her while my mind wandered. Then against the gray sky, there was a splotch of black. It wasn't Fang, he sat behind me. I turned to see what had interrupted my reverie.

Sitting in an empty desk several seats ahead of me and one row to the right was a figure. An unfamiliar one. Quickly I glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed (no one had) then rubbed my eyes before looking again. There it was, sitting in the desk, perfectly normal. I couldn't make out any features at all, because it was completely cloaked in an eerie purple shadow. All I could tell was that it was about 6', and was built like an adult male. I kept staring at it, unsure of what to do. Obviously no one else could see it, so why could I?

"Ms. Ride!" A ruler smacked down on the desk just as the shrill voice cut the air, the wood only missing my knuckles because I yanked them away at the last second. "Last time I checked," I hissed, "Its illegal to hit students." Demon-teacher smirked at me. "Well you are not harmed, are you?" she asked in a superior tone. "Yeah, and for that I can thank my fast reflexes." I shot back. Her smirk twisted into a scowl, and she snapped, "Just see to it you pay attention." At that moment, the figure stood up from the desk and started walking down the aisle. I could hear its footsteps, and the movement it created as it walked by me even stirred my hair a little.

As it walked by, one dark finger stretched out and brushed across my cheek, burning and freezing the skin it touched. It walked right out the door, no one else seeming to notice its presence, nor the aura of malice it carried with it. I was so captivated by it that this time I felt the sting of wood on my knuckles. I winced and snapped back around to look at the teacher, who now had a smug smile on her face. Keeping all of my simmering anger off of my face, I simply picked up my backpack and stood to leave. "What are you doing?" she demanded. "Sit down at once!" "And what will you do if I don't?" I snapped. "Beat me with your ruler?"

Her face twisted in anger. "I have the authority in this classroom." She said hotly. "You will obey-" "I won't obey _jack_." I snarled. "Listen, Edna. You call yourself an adult when you act like a second grader. It's pathetic." I had the pleasure at watching her face redden at the use of her first name. "You will call me Ms. Schultz." She said through gritted teeth. "Now sit down before I-" I didn't even stay to hear the end of her sentence, just marching out the door without a glance back.

What can I say. There was a limit to my patience and I had reached it. I walked purposefully down the hallway, deciding to go and sit in the only climbable tree on the campus where I usually went if I wanted to ditch. As I walked, I heard footsteps behind me. Before I could turn to look, a breeze stirred a few strands of my hair. There was a burning, freezing sensation in my left side, and then there was a deep yet whispery breath in my ear. "You know, so you're next." I whirled around, heart pounding… and saw an empty hallway. With a gulp, I summoned my usually inexhaustible well of bravery and continued walking.

As I passed an empty hallway, I heard the ghostly giggles of young girls. A few words in their high voices floated out to me. "_This evil thing it knows me_." That did it. I took off at a sprint, and didn't stop until I got to the tree. The moment I was safely nestled into its branches, I bunched my sweater sleeves around my mouth and screamed in frustration. What was wrong with my brain?!

Fangs PoV

English is boring. That was the only thing circling in my mind as I doodled in my notebook, waiting for Ms. Schultz to stop ranting. I glanced up for half a second… and froze. I saw something I haven't seen in years. The shadowy figure that used to linger in my bedroom when I was younger, now sitting in an empty desk. It was identical to how it was years ago, about six foot, well built, probably male.

I jumped as Ms. Schultz ruler hit Max's desk, missing her knuckles by millimeters. As they started arguing, I watched the figure stand and walk past Max, shifting her hair and running a single finger across her cheek. To my surprise, she actually seemed to see it. As far as I knew, this figure had been something Iggy and I had conjured up as kids, something only we could see for some reason. But now Max could see it. There was another loud smack, matched with a muffled wince. My vision turned red at the edges, and I completely forgot about that figure.

She had actually hit Max with the ruler. Without saying anything, Max grabbed her backpack and started to leave the room. "What are you doing? Sit down at once!" I knew her orders wouldn't get her anywhere with an angry Max. "And what will you do if I don't? beat me with your ruler?" I suppressed a wince, seeing the smoldering rage in her eyes. This probably wouldn't end well. "I have the authority in this classroom. You will obey-" "I won't obey _jack_." Honestly, I half expected her to cackle and say 'You have no power here' like Theoden in the Two Towers. No, I'm serious. She's done it before. "Listen, Edna. You call yourself an adult when you act like a second grader. It's pathetic."

Boom. Headshot. You could tell Max had won just by the look on Ms. Schultz's face. "You will call me Ms. Schultz. Now sit down before I-" Max left. As Ms. Schultz fumed, I tossed my stuff into my own bag and stood up. "And where do you think youre going?" she snapped, practically foaming at the mouth.

"I'm going to find my friend."

(A/N Hola, brochachos! Any reviews to be had? And any idea where I made a certain reference to a certain movie?

UNC-

Silence)


	5. Chapter 5

(There was some confusion and concern hovering about, so I shall dispell it.

1. This fic is rated M for gore and horror, not sexuality.

2. There will be much Faxness

3. Yes, Iggy will also be seeing the apparition, since he's also read the book.

And I suppose I owe you a proper summary:

The gist of it is that most things in the original fairy tales are real, and they live in our world secretly, hidden behind the lie of happily ever after. Anyone who has read the old stories has the knowledge to realize that they are real, and are thus a threat to their survival. Anyone who is a threat is done away with.

Good? Good. )

Fangs PoV

There was only one place Max could go if she didn't want to get caught: the tree. It's far from the building, its easily climbable for kids but not for adults, and the leaves hide anyone sitting in it from view. As I walked there, I kept thinking about the shadow. Had Max really seen it? If so, how? Iggy and I had always thought it was just a figment of our young minds, like an imaginary friend. But if that's true, how could Max have seen it? For that matter, why would I suddenly see it again?

As the tree came into sight, I decided I was going to talk to Iggy about it before saying anything to Max. For all I know she might not have seen it at all. I reached the foot of the tree and peered up into the boughs. Sure enough, there she was, sitting on a thick branch near the top of the tree. Her head was leaned back against the trunk, her eyes closed. "Max." I called. She jumped, nearly falling out of the tree before grabbing onto a branch. That was weird. Max doesn't scare easily.

She looked down at me. "Hey Fang." I gave her a half smile and started to scale the tree. I perched myself on the branch across from hers. That's when I noticed how unusually pale her face was. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Nothing." She muttered. "How did you get away from Ms. Scumbag?" "I just walked out." I said. "So there was no being hit with rulers?" she asked with a small smile. I chuckled and responded, "None." I noticed something on her hand, and looked closer.

"You're bleeding." I said, gently taking her hand in mine and lightly touching where the knuckle was split. She just rolled her eyes. "I've had worse." She said bitterly. I sighed a little, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "Have you talked to Ari yet? About what happened?" I felt her muscles tense, and a few strained seconds passed before she replied. "He tried to, yesterday." I looked back up at her face. It was carefully blank of all emotions. "He told me he didn't mean what he did." "And what did you say?" I asked. She shrugged and looked back down at her hands, whispering, "I told him it didn't matter what he meant. All that mattered was what he did."

I sighed again. "And let me guess." I said. "That's where the conversation ended." She nodded stiffly. "Max, you can't hide from this forever." She drew in a shaking breath. "I know." She murmured. "But I can sure as hell try." I gritted my teeth in frustration, and opened my mouth to say something else when a voice broke through the foliage. "Yo, Max! Fang! Schools over, delinquents!" I shook my head and rolled my eyes. Only Iggy would say that. "Alright, Igwad, calm your face!" Max yelled down at him. She pulled her hand from mine and started climbing gracefully towards the ground. I took a few seconds to admire her before following her down.

When I made it to the ground, I saw Iggy was watching us with a smirk on his face. "Ms. Schultz is pissed." He said bluntly. "The entire school is talking about what happened, and I don't want to think about what our mothers are going to say." Max winced a little, but I did nothing. My parents really aren't that scary. Max's mom, however, is a completely different story. "Well, I guess there's nothing I can do about it." Max said with a sigh. "Might as well just head home." We walked to the pickup line together, where we discovered both of our respective parents were already waiting for us. "Good luck." I muttered to Max. "Thanks." She murmured back. "I'm gonna need it." With that, she turned and headed for her car.

I stood and watched her until Iggy jabbed me in the ribs with his elbow. "Come on." He hissed into my ear. "Quit ogling at Max and get in the car." I scowled at him and stalked to the car, throwing myself into it. Iggy climbed in beside me, then Nudge got in and shut the door. "Fang." My mother said severely from her position in the passenger seat. "Would you care to explain what happened this afternoon?" "That depends." I said, sounding bored, "What were you told?" I knew Ms. Schultz would lie, she knew that if she didn't she could lose her job. In my opinion, that would be a good thing.

My mom spoke again. "We were informed that in the middle of English class you and Max just stood up and stormed out, with no obvious reason." I rolled my eyes and said, "That's not what happened." "Then what did happen?" My parents tried, they really did, to be the tough parents that had no problem punishing their kids. But it just wasn't them. They were activists to the extreme, so for them any reason to protest they can find is like a pot of gold.

"Ms. Schultz got angry at Max for daydreaming in class," I started explaining. "And when Max started getting mouthy, she hit her with a ruler." My parents gasped as though Max had been stabbed through the eye with a butter knife, rather than just getting a slab of wood across the knuckles. "Where? Is she ok?" Mom asked nervously. "It was just on her knuckles. One of them split, but she's fine." I reassured her. "So, then you two just got up and left?" Dad asked, injecting himself into the conversation for the first time. "She left, and I followed her." I said. "Like you always do." Iggy snickered. I threw him a glare, and the chuckle died in his throat as he cringed. "Boys." Our mother scolded. "Play nice."

I rolled my eyes. "Do you have any other people who can say this happened?" Dad asked. "The entire class saw it." I responded. "We'll talk to the principal." Mom said firmly. "We'll make sure that something happens." 'Oh, I'm sure you will.' I thought to myself as we pulled up to the house. When we got inside, Iggy turned to head to his room, but I stopped him. "Ig, can I talk to you for a sec?" "Sure." He said with a shrug, and followed me into my room. We tossed our backpacks on the floor, and I leaned against the wall while Iggy reclined on the bed. "So, what's up?" he began. I took a deep breath before saying, "I saw it today."

"Wait, saw what?" he asked, but I could tell he had already guessed. "The shadow." "Dude, we imagined that thing." "I know, but that doesn't explain why I saw it again now. And…" I hesitated for a moment before saying, "I think Max saw it too." Iggy's eyebrows rose. "How could Max have seen it?" "That's what I've been wondering." I admitted. "I'm not positive she saw it, but she seemed to. And it touched her." Iggy's brow furrowed. "When did all this happen?" he asked, getting up and starting to pace the floor.

"During English." I took a second to think. "In retrospect, that was probably why she was zoned out in the first place, if she saw it." "But… how could she have seen it if we made it up?" Iggy said helplessly. "I've been thinking about that." I said slowly. "And maybe it's because….

"Maybe we didn't make it up."

(A/N Sorry it took so long! I had to rewrite this chapter 5 times and im still not completely happy with it. Oh well. Reviews.

UNC-

Silence)


	6. Chapter 6

Maxs PoV

The car ride home was long and silent. Mom didn't say anything, and I sure as hell wasn't about to bring it up. When we pulled into the driveway, she didn't look at me, and just said, "Inside. Room. Now. We'll talk when I get home from work." Without a word, I grabbed my backpack and started inside. If walking out of a class didn't merit immediate punishment, I started to wonder about what I would have to do to elicit an immediate response from her. I banished the thought almost as soon as I had thought it. Mom worked hard to provide for us, I had no business questioning it.

I headed up to my bedroom, closing the door behind me and tossing my bag onto my bed. When it landed, the dreaded book slid out of it and fell to the floor with a thump. I stared at it. I had nothing better to do up here, so why not read? But the more I thought about it the more I didn't want to, the more I wanted to lock that think back up in the attic and never touch It again. Then I clenched my jaw. _You're being an idiot_, I scolded myself, _it's just a book!_ So with a deep breath, I stooped down and picked it up. It didn't feel any different, so I sat down on the floor with my back against my bed and started reading.

Time Skip

Hours later, there was a knock on my bedroom door. I rubbed my blurry eyes and called, "Come in." Mom stepped inside, looking tired but still awake enough to interrogate me. I closed the book and set it down on the floor next to me. Mom sat down on the bed and patted the space beside her. I stood and moved over to sit beside her, knowing that it would be better for both of us if we got this over with quickly. "All right." She started with a sigh. "What happened?"

"I was zoning out in English." I explained, choosing to leave out the part about the shadow. "Ms. Schultz started ranting at me, so I got snarky. She smacked my knuckles with a ruler, so I left." She blinked and frowned. "She hit you with a ruler?" I nodded, but quickly added, "It's nothing serious, just a split knuckle." "Let me see." She said, holding out her hand. I reluctantly set my hand in hers, feeling the tired muscles in her hands from working too hard. She inspected my hand and sighed. "Did anyone else see this happen?" she asked. "The entire class." She nodded slowly.

"Look, you're tired. Got to bed. You can punish me tomorrow." I said with a cheeky grin. If she had been wide awake, she would have accused me of trying to escape her wrath. But now she just gave me a tired smile and left. But she forgot to close the door, so I stood up and went over to close it. When I turned back around, I stopped dead. There was the shadow again, standing in front of my bed. Not doing anything, just standing and staring. Summoning my courage, I gulped and said, "Who are you? What do you want?" It looked up, and seemed to look right into my soul. I felt an iciness creep over me, as though the room had just dropped in temperature by 50 degrees.

I started shivering, and wrapped my arms around my torso for warmth. It continued to stare, unmoving and unfeeling. "Who are you?" I tried again. This time it moved, shuffling forward until it was right in front of me. Now I felt the burning mix in with the chill, and I was both shivering and sweating as it towered menacingly over me. While I watched, it drew a knife from somewhere in its shadows and held it up in front of my face. It wasn't a shadow dagger, as you would have expected, but real and solid, light glinting off the blade. My heart stopped, and I couldn't move as it placed the point against my throat. "I'm your executioner." It whispered.

Then it disappeared.

I crumbled to my knees, shivering like crazy. What was going on? Was I finally going insane? Was Mom going to have to send me away to a mental hospital or something? A few tears squeezed out of my eyes at the thought.

What was going to happen to me?

Fangs PoV

Needless to say, Iggy thought I was insane. He refused to even consider my theory until I had asked Max about it, at least. So I had told him I would, tomorrow, and after reading a little from Dracula, I fell into an uneasy sleep.

The first thing that appeared in my dreaming mind was a vase, of blue glass. It teetered on the edge of a table, on the verge of falling off. A figure appeared, a female one, though I couldn't see its face. Her hands were by her sides, and I could see rivulets of drying blood on the white skin, and drops on her dark shirt. One blood stained hand reached out, and with a delicate tap, sent the vase crashing to the floor. It shattered with a ridiculously loud crash. The figure knelt down, allowing me to see its face. It was horrific.

The blonde hair was pulled back. The drying blood streams ran up her arms, over her chest, up her neck, and on to her face. Her lips with bright red with the liquid. Wrapped around her eyes was a barely there, thin, almost see through piece of gauze. And in the spots where her eyes would have been were two, eye shaped blood stains, the obvious source of the rest of the blood that covered her. She gave a sickly grin and picked up the largest, most jagged piece of glass there was. She hefted it for a moment, then gestured to her eyes. "Everyone that has seen, has to be made blind." She intoned in a creepily sweet voice.

Suddenly, she lunged at me, swinging the piece of glass. I tried to ward her off, knocking her to the side, but still receiving a long gash across my cheek. The pain startled me awake, and the nightmare faded to mist, though I swear I could still hear her awful laughter even after I had woken up. I lay on my bed for several seconds, breathing hard and trying to calm my heartbeat. It took me quite a while to realize that my face still hurt. Silently, I got up and padded to the bathroom to figure out why. When I turned on the light, I wasn't expecting what I saw.

In exactly the same place she had cut me, there was a long, bloody gash in my cheek.

(A/N Ta da. Oh, if anyone can tell me how to put pics on my profile, ill put up a pic of the creepy girl at the end.

UNC-

Silence)


	7. Chapter 7

Maxs PoV

I didn't dream that night, because I didn't sleep. I tried, but my eyes refused to shut. Around 5 A.M, I finally admitted defeat and got up to take a shower. My tired brain could only comprehend moments in time, steps in a process. Turn on the light. Close the door. Pull back shower curtain. Water. While the water warmed up, I stood still and stared at myself in the mirror. Had I always looked like this, thin and pale and tired?

Suddenly, a blinding pain struck my temples, making me wince and grab my head. With another invisible spike of pain, an image flashed before my closed eyes. A girl in a dark shirt, with a bloody bandage around her eyes and broken glass in her hand. Another spike, another image. This time it was a werewolf looking creature, with Ari's hair color and eyes. The images kept rolling, each punctuated with another pain. The shadowy figure, a wall with a message written on it in blood, a girl hung from a ceiling fan, a boy with glass imbedded through his eyes, a girl trapped in a burning building, a woman with her throat ripped out, the same werewolf from earlier with his throat slit and his stomach sliced open.

When the images finally stopped, I kept my eyes closed until the pain embedded away. Then I slowly lifted my lids, blinking at the harsh bathroom lighting. I let my back hit the wall and slowly slid down to the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees and pressing a hand to my mouth. Something was very, very wrong with me, and if I didn't tell someone I would explode. I made a decision and dashed out of the room, not bothering to turn off the water or the lights. I snatched my cell phone off the nightstand and fired a quick text to Fang.

_Hey, I know its early, but can we meet somewhere? I'm freaking out._

To my surprise, a reply came almost immediately.

**Sure, the park?**

_Perfect. I'll be there in ten._

I yanked a pair of jeans on and pulled a hoodie over the Hollywood Undead t-shirt I had been wearing. I laced up my combats and threw my phone into my pocket. I was about to rush out of the room, then thought better of it and turned off the light and water in the bathroom before pushing my window open. My mom was probably up already for work, and she wouldn't let me go anywhere so early, before dawn like this. I swung my legs over the windowsill and stood on a small ledge that jutted out under my window. I shut the window, then lowered myself on the edge of the ledge, letting myself fall to the ground with a slight thud.( Thank God my house isn't too tall.)

I brushed myself off, then set off in the direction of the park at a slight jog. The half mile between me and the park seemed both too long and too short at the same time. I was dying to tell Fang what had been going on, but what if he thought I was crazy? What if he passed it off as nonsense? As soon as I arrived there and saw his familiar figure leaning against a tree, all of my doubts evaporated. He's Fang, my best friend. He'll listen to me. I sped up slightly. When he heard my boots thumping against the ground, he turned to face me.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed as I came to a stop in front of him. "What happened to you?" He had a long slash on his cheek, stretching all the way across it. The sun was starting to rise, turning the darkness into a gray twilight that turned his face into a grayish cast. He just shrugged. "What did you want to talk about?" he asked, neatly dodging my question. "Something weird." I said. "And you'll probably think I'm insane. At least, more than usual." He chuckled a little at my comment. "Well, I can't say I'm not used to it." He said dryly. Now it was my turn to chuckle. However, it died in my throat when I remembered what I was here for. I took a deep breath and put my shoulders back. "Here goes." I muttered. And I started talking.

I told him about my three encounters with the shadow: the classroom, the hallway, and last night. I told him about the creepy dream I'd had, and how I'd later heard the girls in the hallway. Finally, I told him about the pain and the images rolling past my eyes like a projection screen. When I finished, I took several more deep breaths. After several moments of silence, Fang said, "Max? Max, look at me." Slowly, I raised my eyes to meet his dark ones. His steady gaze held mine. "Max, that shadow you saw?" I nodded, wondering what he was getting at. "Both me and Iggy have seen it." I blinked in surprise, and said, "Explain."

He sighed a little. "We used to see it when we were younger. After a year or two, it disappeared, so we figured it had been a figment of our imaginations. But yesterday, in English? I saw it too." My eyes widened. Fang saw it too? Iggy had seen it? I couldn't think straight, everything was just a chaotic mess I couldn't make sense of. "And that dream you had? I've had that dream." My eyes got even bigger. "Have-" my voice cracked, and I started over. "Have you ever had the shadow talk to you, or threaten you?" He shook his head, his dark hair swishing. "What about the images?" That gave him a pause. "That first one you described. You said she had a bloody bandage around her eyes, and she was holding broken glass, right?"

I nodded furiously. "I had that dream tonight. I dreamt she attacked me with the glass. When I woke up, I had this." He said, gesturing to the cut. This time, my jaw dropped. "Right before she did, she said, 'Everyone that has seen, has to be made blind.'" I bit my lip. All of this was connected somehow, but how? "But the question remains," Fang said, meeting my eyes. We said the last part together.

"_What is going on?" _

(A/N Sorry, I was too lazy to update yesterday. :P Review plz!

UNC-

Silence)


	8. Chapter 8

Iggy's PoV

Beep. Beep. Beep. Oh alarm clock, why do you torture me so? With a groan, I rolled over and smacked my palm against the snooze button, then snuggled back into my blankets. Unfortunately, my mom banged harshly on the door. "Iggy, get up! You are not sleeping in until 5 minutes before school for the third time this week!" "Fine, Mom, Im getting up!" I heard her footsteps recede down the hall, then muttered, "Jesus, woman, you need a chill pill." "I heard that young man!" "Oh come on!" I just cant win. With another heavy groan, I yanked myself away from my immensely comfy bed and staggered to my closet to get dressed.

Five tired minutes later, I was pouring milk into a bowl of cereal still half asleep when Fang walked through the back door. "Morning Fang." I muttered. "Hey." He sat down at the counter. Something clicked in my mind, and I asked, "Um, Fang, why did you walk through the back door?" I know, I'm hopelessly slow, but its 6:30 in the morning. Cut me a break. Fang put his head down, his black hair blending with his jacket. "I was with Max." he muttered. "Oh really? Where?" I asked, injecting a little suggestion into my voice.

"At the park." He answered, not rising to the bait. "If that's the case why do you look like you have a hangover?" He raised his head to glare at me, and that's when I saw the cut on his face. "Dude! What happened to your face?" I said with my usual tact. "Remember the dreams we used to have? The one about the girl with the bloody bandage around her eyes, and the broken glass?" he asked. I nodded. "I had it again last night, and when I woke up…" his voice trailed off, knowing that further explanation wasn't necessary. I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands. Its too early in the morning for this. "Is that what you were talking about with Max?" I asked. He nodded. "And what did she say?" He ran a hand through his hair before responding. "She saw the shadow. Three times. She's had one of the dreams."

"So, what does that mean?" I asked. "Wait, that's not all of it. She saw a lot of images this morning. She saw the girl with the glass, a wall with a message written in blood, a girl trapped in a burning building." He put his head down again. "She also said the shadow threatened her." I shot him a sharp look. I wasn't tired anymore. "What do you mean, threatened her?" "She asked it who it was." His voice was muffled. "And it said it was her executioner." I could sense the worry in his voice, and said, "Fang, if you're worried about her getting hurt, you don't have to be." "And why is that?" he asked, straightening up and looking me right in the eyes.

"We know these things, whatever they are, are capable of hurting us without physically being here. And we cant rule out the idea that they might physically appear, so who knows what they're fully capable of doing?" I blinked. Fang almost never talked this much. Ever. "It threatened her, Iggy. It held a knife to her throat. So don't tell me I don't have to worry." He shoved his chair back from the counter, grabbed his backpack from the living room, and stalked out of the house, all while I stood dumbly in the middle of the kitchen with my half full bowl of cereal.

It put a knife to Max's throat? It can actually do that? Well, that's a scary thought. Another, almost scarier, thought was Fangs newfound vocabulary. Ive never seen him that worked up before, which made me wonder how much he actually cared about Max. I mean, I love Max. She's like a sister to me, and hearing that the shadow had threatened to kill her scared me. A lot. But not as much as it seemed to affect Fang. If he was worried enough that I could actually tell what he was feeling, he must be pretty damn worried. Which is very out of character for calm, cool, and collected Fang.

Suddenly, Nudge was in front of me, snapping her fingers in my face. I blinked rapidly and yanked away from her, stumbling against the counter. "What the heck, Nudge?" I cried. "You were zoned out, and its time to go. Fang's been sitting in the car for the past fifteen minutes." She explained, giving me her 'What happened?' look. "I was zoned out for fifteen minutes?" I asked. Nudge rolled her eyes. "Yes, Iggy, now come on. We're gonna be late."

I left my cereal on the counter and grabbed my back pack from the floor next to the fridge, following Nudge outside. I was locking the front door when I heard something from around the corner of the house. It sounded like… a moan. "Iggy!" Nudge yelled. "Just a second!" I called back. With a quick glance around, I stepped off the porch and started walking around the corner. As I got closer, I heard another thin moan. "Hello?" I called. "Is someone there?" In answer, I got a thin, "Help…. Please…" The voice was clearly female. I finally stepped out from around the corner, and stopped dead.

On the ground a few feet from the side of the house, there was a teenage girl. She had bright red hair. And something else bright red was seeping from several stab wounds in her stomach, soaking her bright pink shirt in crimson. The blood was all over her hands, her jeans. There was even a bloody handprint on her face, probably from whoever had attacked her. "Nudge! Fang!" I yelled, kneeling down next to her. "Help me.." she muttered, seeming to sink in and out of consciousness. "I will." I told her. As I studied her face, I realized I knew her from school. Her name was Lissa, a nice enough girl, a little quiet. I heard running footsteps, then Nudges shocked gasp. I turned to look over my shoulder at them. Fang already had his phone out to call 911, and Nudge was looking away with her hand over her mouth. I didn't blame her. I myself was thankful I hadn't eaten breakfast. Lissa tried to move, but only succeeded in making her wounds bleed more. "Don't try to move." I told her. "Just hold on."

"I-Iggy?" I turned to look at Nudge again. Now she was pointing with a shaking hand at the side of the house. Slowly, I turned my gaze to the wall. Two words were written on it, in Lissa's blood.

**No Escape.**

(A/N Soooooo whatcha think? Review please.

UNC-

Silence)


	9. Chapter 9

Fangs PoV

My phone was ringing. I almost didn't notice, over the wail of the ambulance, but luckily I did and held it up to my ear. "Hey, where are you guys?" Max. "Um, yeah about that." I said. "This is gonna sound a little crazy, but Lissa was stabbed right outside our house." Silence. Then, "I'm coming over." "No, wait, Max-" Click. "Damnit." I muttered to myself. "What's wrong?" Nudge asked, slipping one hand into mine. Poor girl, she was really shaken up about Lissa. "Max is coming over." I told her. "Isn't that a good thing?" she asked, eyes growing a little brighter. I didn't answer.

In truth, I was worried. Something about this made me uneasy, and I wanted Max as far away as possible. Unfortunately, its Max. She has a knack for getting into trouble. "Ig!" I called. He had been standing over by Lissa, and looked up when he heard me call. I beckoned him over, and he obligingly obeyed. "What's up?" he asked. I noticed his hands were bloody. "Max is coming." I told him. He just shook his head and muttered, "I swear that girl is gonna be the death of me one day." That made me crack a short lived half smile.

A minute or so later, Maxs car pulled up. She hopped out of the passenger side with her brown leather messenger bag over her shoulder. She rushed up to us. "Max!" Nudge cried, flinging her arms around Maxs skinny waist. Max returned her hug, then lightly disengaged and turned to me. "How did you get here so fast?" I asked. "I asked Ari to drive me." She explained. "You talked to Ari? Willingly?" I said in disbelief. "Hey, it's a tough life, but someone has to live it." She joked with a grin. A grin that faded as she caught sight of the wall behind us.

"Nudge, sweety," she said quietly. "Why don't you go inside, get away from this mess." Nudge was obviously relieved at an excuse to get away from the carnage and practically flew inside. Once the door was safely shut behind her, I looked at Max. "That's the wall, Fang." She said in a near whisper. "The one you saw?" Iggy interjected. Max looked startled, then realized I probably told him and nodded. Almost in a trance, she walked closer to the blood stained wall. "Hey!" Maxs head snapped around, as did mine, in time to spot a cop running towards us.

"Don't contaminate the crime scene." He scolded once he was close enough. "Sorry." Max murmured. He gave us a disapproving look, then waved one of his colleagues over. "We found this near the crime scene." The second cop said, holding up a bag with a bloody dagger in it. Its hilt was silver, with dots of gold scattered over it. The blade looked like regular steel. " Do any of you recognize it?" We all shook our heads, but I saw the glint in Maxs eyes that said she was lying. "Ok." The first cop said. "Do any of you know of anyone who would want to hurt Lissa?" This time, we were all telling the truth when we shook our heads no. "Alright." He said with a frown. "I guess that's all for now."

Once the two were out of earshot, I asked Max, "You recognized the dagger, didn't you?" "Yes." She whispered, a haunted look in her eyes that frightened me. "From where?" She shivered, wrapped her arms around her stomach. "The shadow had it." She said. "That's the one it used to threaten me." Me and Iggy looked at each other, eyes wide. "You're sure." Iggy said. "Positive." "Look, we can't be sure it was the shadow unless we talk to Lissa." Iggy said reasonably. "And it'll be hours before they let her receive visitors." "Well lets put some other clues together until then." I suggested. "Like the message." Iggy nodded in agreement. "Ok." Max said, putting her shoulders back and cracking her knuckles. "This message says 'No Escape' and was written on the side of your house. The shadow told me I was next, and described itself as 'my executioner.'" She said, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration.

"Based on my experiences and Fangs, we can assume Fang and I are both targets, possibly Iggy." She wasn't really talking to anyone, more like thinking out loud. "So, if we assume the shadow did this, I think I can tell what it wants to say." "And what's that?" Iggy asked. "That although I'm the first target, you guys aren't safe. Its warning you not to get too cozy, cause once it's done with me, it'll move on to you two, or letting you know that its already sent something after you and that you can't escape it." "I'm gonna have to go with the latter," Iggy said thoughtfully. "Based on Fangs new makeover." I scowled at him, but couldn't help but agree.

"But why attack Lissa?" I asked. "Why not paint it on the wall with paint, or animal blood?" "It wanted to prove itself." Max said. "Prove to us that it can seriously hurt people, and won't hesitate to take out anyone in the way of its mission." "Ok." I said, "Assuming it is the shadow, what is its mission?" Max bit her lip, thinking hard, and Iggy's face got that blank look it gets when he's thought too much for too long. "I'm not sure yet." Max admitted after several minutes. "For all we know, it wasn't the shadow at all. We won't know that until we talk to Lissa."

I glanced over to where the ambulance was just leaving. "They'll have to get her to the hospital." I said, calculating times in my head. "She'll probably need surgery, and recovery time after. Its 7:30 now, so we probably couldn't expect to see her until 12:30, at the earliest." "Well, then I guess it'll be a long wait for us." Iggy said. "How are we gonna get there?" "I'll call Ari." Max said. She obviously didn't want to, but it had to be done.

"Take your time. We've got a long time to wait."

(A/N IDEAS FLAMES REVIEWS ALL ARE WELCOME. The pic of the broken glass girl is up, hopefully.

UNC-

Silence)


	10. Chapter 10

Third Person PoV

The shadow watched the three teens from a safe distance, silently and maliciously chortling over the naiveté. This was his specialty, scaring people. He frowned as a silky, seductive, yet poisonous voice floated through his mind. _Come back now. I need to see you_. He longed to stay and watch the kids struggle some more, but an order was an order. He focused, feeling the dark energy well inside him, and within a moment he was no longer standing outside the boys' house. Now he stood in a grey void. The small area he had teleported to was cut off from the void by a swirling purple and black mist. If anyone, even he, ventured inside, they would be scoured to ashes.

In front of him stood a woman, her back turned to him. Before her hovered three crystalline orbs. "Ah, good. You're here." She said, her voice matching that from the one in his head. She turned to him, her waist length wavy black hair swishing ominously. She wore a blood red gown, with a black robe type garment over it, tied at the front of her waist with a single ribbon. The toes of her black heels barely poked out from under the hem. On her brow rested a silver tiara, the point facing down and over her forehead. Her skin was dead white.

The scariest part of this woman, even for him, was her eyes. There were no whites, pupils, or irises. The entire things were the same shade of deep black that seemed to pierce your soul, or lack thereof. The shadow gulped, unnerved, before saying gruffly, "You summoned me?" "Yes." She raised a porcelain hand and brushed some ebony curls from her face, her visage completely calm and serene. "I understand that you have been hunting three children of late?" With a wave of her hand, three images appeared on the orbs. One was the blonde girl, his first target. On the second was the dark boy, and on the third the light.

The shadow nodded. "Indeed, my lady," he said. "I have." "I see. And why have you been toying with your prey instead of eating it?" She asked, no emotions leaking through her soulless eyes. He hesitated, before saying, "I'm not sure what you mean, my lady." With another, more impatient, wave of the hand, the three images of the children disappeared from the orbs. Now it was replaced with an image of him sitting in the girl and dark ones class. The next was an image of him in the girls bedroom, and the last was him attacking the red headed girl. "Would you care to explain how any of this makes your mission easier to accomplish?"

"Their guards are down when they're scared." He said, in a rather disrespectful tone. "When they panic, they're easier to pick off." Now a sliver of anger cracked her porcelain face. In the most literal sense. Indeed, a small crack appeared along one of her white cheeks. "Not so." She snapped. "What you are doing, Kraven, only makes them suspicious, and thus less open to attack!" She halted abruptly and closed her black eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, the crack on her cheek had disappeared. "I also understand you were not alone in your endeavor?" Kraven shook his head. "Brittany assisted me." he admitted.

"Summon her. Now." While he did so, she turned back to the orbs, reversing the images to the children. She studied each one carefully in turn. All three of them appeared strong, almost impossibly so. When she rested one hand on the blonde girls orb to read her essence, she received a strong electric shock. She yanked the hand away with a bit back gasp. That had never occurred before. Swallowing down her surprise, she repeated it with the dark ones orb. Immediately, she was hit with a huge wave of anxiety. She was so caught up in trying to get herself free of its unending pull that she didn't notice the orb was slowly heating up her hand.

By the time she had noticed and yanked away the limb, it was severely burned. However, she just healed it with her mind, new white skin stretching over the ruined flesh. When she was ready, she proceeded to the third orb. This one filled her with energy and love, which she couldn't endure for long. After her experiments, she just stood back and stared at the orbs. They had never reacted in that way, and the responses she had gotten from the three targets were concerning. For the first time, she was afraid.

She had the luxury of forgetting that nonsense with the arrival of Brittany. This particular apparition stood haughtily, blood dripping from her pale skin and onto her dark tank top, and even onto her skinny jeans and steel toed boots. Her arms were crossed, and one hand held a bloody piece of glass. "What did you want?" she snapped. The woman's jaw tightened, and with only a single sharp look, sent the girl flying through the air and suspended her right in front of the deadly mist. Brittany's breath caught. "I found you were helping Kraven with his little hunting party." She said tightly. "Your targets are of particular interest to me." Slowly, she set a trembling Brittany back on the ground.

"And to make sure you two don't wreck my plans." She continued, "I will be in charge of this quest of yours. You do what I say, when I say, and how I say it. Understand?" She had to figure out why these children were so peculiar. The two gave wary, if sulky, nods. With a tight one of her own, the woman vanished. With her exit, the orbs went blank. "Great." Brittany huffed. "Just lovely." "Shut up." Kraven said scathingly. "She is the queen, after all." "Queen bitch, maybe."

(A/N Hope you liked. If you have any ideas or questions for me, feel free to review them.

UNC-

Silence)


	11. Chapter 11

(A/N Hey. I know Authors notes are taboo, but I have news,

Im going to Washington D.C for five days. Leaving tomorrow morning. While im there, I wont be able to update. So don't get made when I cant update.

Also, while im gone, use this time to send me some ideas. I have a tad bit of writers block, so I need your help,

UNC-

Silence)


	12. Chapter 12

(A/N IIIIIIMMMMM BAAAACCCCCKKKK!)

Fangs PoV

It was about an hour after the ambulance had left, and we were still waiting for Ari to show up and give us a ride. Iggy was standing by the house, still staring at the bloodstained wall, probably trying to figure it out. I left my spot next to him and walked over to where Max was standing against a tree, anxiously watching the road. "Hey." I said, nudging her with my elbow. "Hi." She murmured, eyes not leaving the road. "You ok?" Now she looked at me, just for a second before looking away again. "I'm fine." She said in a whisper. "Liar."

She sighed, and said, "Ok, how about fine, considering the circumstances." "Better." She cracked a small smile, which I counted as a major victory. "What about you?" she asked. "Eh, I'm ok." She gave a single nod. "And Iggy?" she said. "Not sure. He's been staring at the wall for the past hour." I said, feeling a bit of concern for my brother seep in through my worry for Max. "I think he's trying to convince himself it's something else, that this isn't happening." "Can you blame him?" Max said. I sighed and shook my head. "He'll be fine." She reassured me. "I hope so." I muttered.

Max looked like she was going to say something else, but at that moment Ari's car pulled up. 'Finally' I thought to myself as Max called to Iggy. We all climbed into the car, Max in the passenger seat. "Where to?" Ari asked, but his voice was unusually weak. I looked at his face in the rear view mirror. It was pale, and sweaty. He was breathing hard, and looked like he was in pain. "The hospital. One of our… friends was hurt, and we want to go see her." Max told him. Normally he would've asked for more clarification, but now he just started driving.

Maxs PoV

Ari nearly killed us all with his crazy driving. Halfway to the hospital, I gathered my courage and asked him if he was alright. With sudden aggression, he growled, "Don't question me. I'm fine." A chill went down my spine. He used that same tone that night when he asked where Angel and Gazzy were. I quickly switched my gaze away from his face, afraid I would see his murderous expression plastered on it. Instead I stared out the window at the blue sky, forgetting about shadows or Lissa, and even Ari. Then the pain hit. The same one from this morning.

I doubled over, holding my head, as more images rolled past my eyes. It was the same three over and over again. The Ari colored wolf, the woman with the ripped out throat, and the wolf dead. Dimly, I could hear Fang arguing with Ari, trying to make him pull over. It felt like an eternity, but only must have been a few moments, when the pain finally fading and the images stopped. Slowly, feeling like I was going to retch, I sat up. I could tell I was pale, and I was shaking like a leaf. What did those images mean? "Max?" I turned and looked over my shoulder at Fang, who was wound like a spring. "Are you ok?" he asked tensely.

I nodded, and with difficulty, I said, "Yeah. I'll be fine." "What happened?" Iggy asked. "I'll tell you later." I muttered, turning back around, noticing Ari's angry stare. Why was he angry? Was he just annoyed with Fang for arguing with him? I didn't know. About twenty minutes later, we arrived at the hospital. Fang and Iggy got out, but Ari grabbed my shoulder and shoved my back up against the car door. His face was bright red, his eyes burning with an animalistic rage. "Ari, what are you doing?" I hissed, trying not to gag as his hot breath fanned over my face. He smelled like a dog.

His fingernails were digging into my shoulder more than what was normal. Was it just me, or were his eyes getting darker? Was his hair getting thicker? There came a knock on the glass. Ari's grip loosened enough for me to swivel around to see Fang looking down at us, anger shining in his black eyes. Ari released my shoulder, his features returning to normal and his face going pale again as he fell back against the seat. Quickly, feeling fright snaking through my mind, I climbed out of the car. As soon as the door was shut, Fang grabbed my hand and rushed us away from the car.

"What just happened?" Fang whispered in my ear. "I'm not sure." I whispered back. "He just pushed me against the door. And he had this look in his eyes. I recognized that look." Fang shot me a look of his own, one that said he knew what I meant. We reached the doors and stepped inside, walking over to where Iggy was speaking to the receptionist. Just as we reached him, he turned around. "Oh, there you guys are." He said. "Lissa's still in surgery. We'll have to wait." His eyes fell to our joined hands, and I yanked mine away, feeling my cheeks burn. Fang didn't react.

As we were walking over to some plastic seats to wait in, Fang stopped me. "Wait, Max." he said, lightly touching my shoulder. "You're bleeding." "What? Where?" I asked, peering over my shoulder at him. He lightly touched the shoulder Ari had held, and I realized it was stinging. "That's the one Ari grabbed." I said quietly. "It looks like you had claws shoved into our shoulder." He observed. "Just four bloody holes." I bit my lip. "We'll get you bandaged up when we go to see Lissa." He decided. I just nodded and sat down. "What happened back there? In the car?" he asked. "Which part?" I replied with a small smile. "Before Ari." He clarified.

"It was the same thing that happened this morning." I said in a hushed tone. "But it was only three images, over and over. The wolf, the woman with the ripped out throat, and the dead wolf." I gave a frustrated sigh. "What does it all mean?" I muttered to myself. Fang captured my hand again, sending unfamiliar sparks up my arm. He started rubbing circles on my palm with his thumb.

"We'll figure it out. You'll be ok." He intoned quietly.

( A/N Reviews please? Oh, and what do you think is going on with Ari?

UNC-

Silence)


	13. Chapter 13

Maxs PoV

Several looooooong hours passed. I was asleep on Fangs shoulder by the time we could see Lissa. We went up the elevator to the fourth floor and went to room 427, the one the receptionist had given us. "I'll do it by myself." Iggy said, surprising all of us. "Why?" I asked. "I'm not sure why." I waited, but obviously that was all I was getting from him. I couldn't think of a reason why he shouldn't, so I shrugged and nodded. Fang and I leaned on the wall outside while Iggy stepped into the room.

Iggys PoV

The entire hospital room was shockingly white, and nearly blinding when coupled with the sunlight streaming through the window. Lissa was lying on the bed, hooked up to several machines. Without looking at me, she said, "Let me guess, you're here to question me about what happened." I gulped and started moving towards her. "Just one question." I said. "I promise." She looked at me for the first time, surprise and confusion crossing her features when she saw me. "Hey, you're the guy who found me." She said. Her brow furrowed. "You're Iggy, right?" I nodded, surprised and pleased that she knew who I was.

"Ok, so what's your question?" "I need you to tell me what your attacker looked like." Her face immediately shut down. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She said bitterly. "Try me." I said back. Lissa blinked, then sighed in resignation. "It came at me head on." She said. "So I should have been able to make out features. But I couldn't. All I could see was a shadow." My blood froze. Oh, God, please don't be right. "The cops decided I must have been confused about what I saw, or what happened because of the trauma. But I'm sure it was a shadow. I'm positive." Her voice was earnest, pleading with me to believe her.

"I believe you." I told her in a strangled voice. Her face lit up. "Really?" I nodded silently. "Thank you." She said, sounding relieved. "All day people have been giving me the 'that girl is so crazy' look. I hate it." That made me smile, just a little. "Trust me, I know the feeling." I said honestly. "I'm sorry, Lissa, but I have to go now." Her smile dimmed. "Oh, ok. But you'll came back, won't you?" I was surprised she had asked, but recovered quickly enough to smile at her and say, "Yeah, sure." She smiled again, and I turned to walk away. Just as I reached the door, she called, "Thanks again." I turned toward her, confused, and she clarified, "For believing me."

I gave her a tight smile. "No problem."

Maxs PoV

While Iggy was in the room with Lissa, Fang waved over a nurse and showed her my clawed shoulder. "Dear me!" she exclaimed. "What happened, did you run into a wild bear on your way here?" "Almost." I said wryly, earning a confused look from her and a pointed one from Fang. "Well, follow me. I'll get you cleaned up." She said. Fang and I followed her down several halls, into a small break room. "Wait here, I'll go get bandages." The nurse said, then she strode out of the room. "So," I said to Fang. "What do you think Lissa will say?"

"Odds are it will be the shadow." He said, logical as always. "I know what the odds are." I said, looking at him solemnly. "What I want to know is, what do _you_ think?" He actually had to stop and think about it. "…I know it probably was that shadow, but… I still really, really hope it isn't." I took a step closer to him. He's usually not this open. "Why? Are you… afraid of it?" Fang shook his head. "I'm not afraid. I'm just… worried." I gave a wry smile. "You're always worried." He shrugged. "I guess it's just how I am." I touched his arm lightly. "You don't have to worry about me." I said quietly.

"Well, too bad. I'm going to worry whether you like it or not." I gave him an exasperated look, which he returned with a cheeky smile. I opened my mouth to say something else, but the nurse chose that moment to walk back in with an armful of supplies. "Alright, come over here, and we'll get you all patched up." She said cheerfully. I reluctantly went where she pointed, and sat down on the couch she had indicated. She set the stuff on the coffee table, then gently turned me so that my injured shoulder faced her. While she bandaged and disinfected the marks, Fangs phone rang. "It's Iggy." He told me before answering it.

"Hey Igs." He listened for a second, then started giving directions to where we were. I guess Iggy had finished talking to Lissa and was wondering where we had wandered off to. Fang finished giving him the directions just as the nurse finished with my shoulder. "There you go, dear." She said, patting my back lightly. "Thanks. Do I owe you anything?" I asked, pulling my hoodie back on. "Nothing at all. Just glad to help." With that, she gathered the supplies and left the room. "Iggy will be here in a few." Fang said, sitting down beside me.

Sure enough, about a minute later, Iggy showed up. "Well?" I asked. "What did Lissa say?" "She said it came at her head on." His face was pale and grim, obviously foreshadowing what he would say next. "All she can remember seeing, is a shadow." I pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes. I couldn't deny it anymore. This was real, and it was happening. "Ok, so, obviously this shadow, whatever it is, is after us." I said, forcing myself to sound unafraid. "But the question is, why?" Iggy said.

Suddenly I straightened up. "I think I have an idea." I said slowly. "And what might that be?" Fang asked, watching me intently. I hesitated a moment, then reached into my bag and pulled out the dreaded book.

"This."

(A/N Yeah, kinda crappy, but whatever. Oh, and I'm writing a new fanfiction, but I haven't posted it yet. Tell me if you want me to or not,

UNC-

Silence.)


	14. Chapter 14

Maxs PoV

"Grimms?" Iggy said, looking confused. I nodded. "I don't get it." He admitted. "Well, you guys started seeing this shadow after your parents read these to you, right?" He nodded. "But after a while, it disappeared. The same day I start reading it, I start seeing the shadow and having the dreams? It doesn't make sense unless this is the reason." I explained. "But why? What's so special about it?" I bit my lip. That's something I hadn't considered.

"Little Red Riding Hood." Fang said, out of the blue, earning himself two very confused looks. "What?" I asked. "The wolf you kept seeing? What if that's the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood. That would explain why you also saw it killed that way." I mentally face palmed. Of course! In the original fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood had been eaten by the wolf, and had to be cut out of its stomach by the hunter. Then she killed the wolf.

Iggy started laughing. "The Big Bad Wolf isn't real, Fang." He laughed. "What if it is?" Fang argued back. "What if all of the things from this book are real? If they don't want anyone to know about them, that would explain why they're after us all of the sudden." "But the shadow and the chic with the bloody eyes aren't in that book." Iggy said. I jumped in. "So? The ones in the stories can't be the only things like them. It would be like reading a science textbook and claiming we know everything about the universe." I said. That made him shut up and think. "Ok." He said slowly. "If everything you say is true, where's the wolf?" Fang glanced at me. "Max, you have the claw marks on your shoulder." He said. "I know." I murmured, lightly touching the bandages.

I thought about how the wolf in my (let's call them visions for lack of a better term) vision had had Ari's hair and eye color. How weird Ari had been acting. How he shoved me against the door. The claws. What if _Ari_ was the wolf? "What are you thinking?" Fang asked quietly. I didn't know if I could tell him. I mean, what if my own mental problems with Ari had been making me see things? But that still wouldn't explain why I randomly had claw wounds on the shoulder he had grabbed. "Max?" "Just a theory. You would think I'm crazy." I said with a light laugh, as though brushing it off.

"The bar for crazy is pretty high right now." Iggy said. "Come on Max." Fang urged. I shook my head stubbornly. "Not until I'm sure." "You know where the claw marks came from." Fang said matter-of-factly, studying my face. In my head, I swore. On the outside, I just sighed and said, "Maybe." "We need to know." Iggy said, unnaturally solemn. He was right. I wasn't the only one in danger, and keeping this information, even as a theory, to myself was incredibly selfish. They deserved to know. "Alright." I said in a defeated tone. "Fang, you know how Ari had me shoved up against the door?"

Fang nodded tensely. "Well, before he did that, there wasn't any claw marks on my shoulder. When he let go, there were claw marks on the shoulder he had grabbed." Iggy sat up and said, "Explain more." So I obligingly described the entire scene. When I was done, Iggy sat back in his chair, trying to compute what I had just said. But Fangs mind was already on overdrive. "So you think Ari might be the wolf?" he said. I nodded a tad sheepishly. "It's crazy, I know, but-" "It's not crazy Max." Fang interrupted. "It's being cautious. Which is exactly what you need to be."

"But if Ari is the wolf, then we shouldn't get a ride home from him." Iggy spoke up. "And calling our parents is suicide." We hadn't thought of that, but Iggy was right, technically we were skipping school. "So what, we get punished." Fang said. "Yeah, but if I get grounded I'm stuck in a house with Ari." I reminded him. "He might hurt Angel and Gazzy. And my mom's already under enough stress, I'm not going to add to that." Fang frowned down at the floor. "Our only option," I continued slowly, "Is to get rides home from him and hope he doesn't go all wolfy on us while we're in the car." "Either way, you're going to be at home with Ari," Fang said. "He could still hurt you."

"As soon as I get home, I'll lock my door and barricade it until my mom gets home. Then I'll head to your guy's house. Ok?" I said, trying to reassure him. He didn't look happy, but there wasn't many other choices. He begrudgingly agreed, but only if I was extra careful. I promised him, then stood up to call Ari.

Time Skip

We were waiting outside when Ari arrived, looking even more pale and painful than he had before. I again sat in the passenger seat, so that I didn't arouse his suspicions. Fang and Iggy were dropped off without incident, Fang shooting me a look as he got out of the car that said, 'If you aren't careful I'll kick your ass.' I gave him a reassuring one in return before Ari peeled out. As soon as the twins were out of the car, Ari's speed and recklessness picked up, making us almost crash 5 times in the mile it took to drive from their house to ours. I breathed a sigh of relief when we made it to the driveway in one piece. I pulled my bag over my shoulder, closed my hand around the door handle… and that's when Ari snapped. He roared and lunged for me, trying to get his hands around my throat.

I yanked the door open and shot out like a bullet, slamming it back on his fingers. He roared again, in pain this time, as I sprinted for the door. I slammed the front door shut and locked it. I didn't have time to make it up the stairs, already hearing his angry stomps on the ground, so I ducked behind a wall with a view of the front door. I sat on the floor, hugging my bag to my chest.

I heard Ari bang on the door and flinched, clutching the bag closer to me. He hit the door again.

Again…

Again…

Again….

(A/N BOOOM CLIFFY! MWAHAHAHAHA I AM EVIL! Reviews please. *puppy dog eyes*

UNC-

Silence)


	15. Chapter 15

Maxs PoV

In an explosion of splinters, the door flew off its hinges and hit the opposite wall. I heard Ari stalk through the remains of the door, muttering, "Where is she." Over and over again. I couldn't help but shudder. It was exactly like he sounded the night he went crazy. Suddenly, he gave a yell of pain. I couldn't resist sticking my head around the wall to see what happened. What I saw turned my stomach.

He threw himself against the wall, panting. I saw claws sprout from his fingertips and gouge deep rips in the wallpaper. His back hunched, his face elongated, fangs grew from his teeth, fur burst through his skin, his clothes ripped. Within seconds, I wasn't looking at Ari anymore. I was looking at the wolf. Quickly, I ducked back behind my wall, my hand over my mouth. I had to think. Come on Max. Think think think.

"Ari? Are you ok? What's going on?" My eyes widened and my heart picked up when I recognized that voice. It was Moms. Then my heart froze as I heard her start to come downstairs. I couldn't let her get hurt! Her footsteps came closer. Ari crouched down in the shadows, ready to pounce as soon as she was in sight. I didn't think, I couldn't think. The second I saw her foot on the second to last step, I screamed, "No, Mom, don't come down!" Ari's head snapped around, fasting his eyes on my hiding spot.

"What? Max?" Mom took another step down. "Don't!" I cried.. just as Ari lunged for me. I threw myself sideways, simultaneously chucking my bag at him. His claws dug into it, ripping it to pieces within seconds. I scrambled to my feet and managed to run a few steps before he snagged my hair in his paws. I couldn't help shrieking when I felt his claws on my throat. Then I was free, stumbling a little from my sudden release. I spun around and saw Mom standing behind where Ari had been with a frying pan held above her head.

Before either of us could move, Ari had sprung up again, recovered from his momentary stun. With one rake of his dreadful claws, he had slit Moms throat. Blood spattered the walls, Ari, a few drops even landed on my face. I wailed her name loudly, feeling tears start to my eyes, my fists clenching. Unfortunately, Ari didn't give me a lot of time to come to grips with the death of my mother. He spun around, mouth open, fangs dripping. I tried to duck, but only ended up falling.

Ari tried to grab me, but I had already swung around the corner into the kitchen. I forced the image of my bloody mother from my mind and let the adrenaline take over, letting the will to survive govern my actions. On my hands and knees, I managed to wrap my hand around a jagged kitchen knife before Ari's paw was on my ankle and dragging me backwards. I screamed again and slashed behind me blindly. I felt the knife cut through some tough flesh, heard Ari's growl of anger… and his grip loosened slightly. Quickly, I slammed my free foot up into his jaw, feeling it fracture, then yanked my other foot loose and jumped to my feet.

I sprinted for the back door, but before I made it Ari had snatched my wrist. He swung me around, and that's the first time I truly looked at his face. His eyes were bloodshot and crazy, his teeth pointed and yellow, dripping with saliva. They were also a bloody mess, and some of them were sideways after I had kicked him. Across his muzzle was a piece of loose flesh, just hanging there and bleeding from where I had slashed him with a knife. His fur was tinted red from his blood and Moms, and his claws dripped red.

One word to describe it. Horror.

He jerked my arm, yanking me to him in an attempt to bite out my throat… and the knife stabbed right into the middle of his stomach. He howled in pain, his grip tightening instead of loosening and raking deep gouges in my forearm. I cried out, and in desperation pulled the knife downward. He starting screaming, sounding more animal than human, as blood and some fluid from his stomach poured from his wounds all over me. He still hadn't let go, just burying his claws deeper into me.

The pain enabled me to make one final strike. I yanked the knife out, inspiring another howl from Ari, and pulled it swiftly across his throat. I almost retched, feeling the warm spray of blood across my face, probably turning it into a macabre mask. He staggered a moment, eyes wide, before his claws finally released my arm and he fell to the floor completely limp.

I stood there for a moment, shaking with the knife in my hand, wondering what I had just done. Had I really just… killed my brother? Is my mother… really dead? I had to be sure. So, with trembling steps, I walked back out into the hallway. And promptly burst into tears. There she was, lying on the floor, in a puddle of her own blood. I knelt next to her, then lay down and wrapped my arms around her already cold corpse. I was basically soaking in her blood, mixing it with mine and Ari's gore, but I didn't care. In my mind, I imagined how the scene would look. The front door leaning against the opposite wall, surrounded by splinters. A wolf creature with multiple injuries in a filthy kitchen surrounded with blood and guts. And in the blood soaked hallway, a girl lay hugging her dead mother, a knife still in her hand and wounds in her arm still bleeding, covered in the fluid from her family.

Tears still rolling down my cheeks, I closed my eyes, willing everything to be normal again when I woke up.

(A/N Uhhhh….. yeah. Review plz.

UNC-

Silence)


	16. Chapter 16

(A/N Ok guys… this line "Tears still rolling down my cheeks, I closed my eyes, willing everything to be normal again when I woke up. "

Meant she fell asleep and hoped that when she woke up, everything would be the way it was supposed to be. NONE OF THIS WAS A DREAM. I don't even know how you jumped to that conclusion. :/)

Third Person PoV

"Are you _completely _and _utterly_ incapable of doing the _easiest_ task_ right_?!" The Queen shrieked. Cracks spiderwebbed across her porcelain face and hands, and her ebony hair went up in flames in the heat of her rage. Kraven flinched, but managed to answer, "My Lady, there is no way I could have foreseen-" "Foreseen?! Foreseen what? That your little werewolf parlor trick would end in a horrific failure?!" Her voice rose into a shriek that sounded much like a harpy straight from hell.

He knew the sound all too well. He clapped his hands over his ears as the shriek rose higher and higher in pitch. Her face and hands cracked more and more, the flaming mass that had been her hair leapt higher, as Kraven fell to his knees in the agony of her cry. He cried out in pain, knowing that his ears must be bleeding. Her voice crept up another octave, one that would not be audible to humans but increased his excruciating pain a thousand fold.

Kraven screamed as his eardrums burst, feeling warm blood flow between his fingers. He didn't stop screaming as the pressure on his brain grew… and grew… and grew…

Breaks appeared in his scalp, crisscrossing his face and head as his skull cracked from the shriek. He only suffered a moment more before he slumped to the ground, his hands and head coated in blood. Through the cracks in his skull, you could see his brain, which was a distinct black color. The Queen simply huffed and turned around to face the orbs, her hair returning to its black tendrils, and the cracks in her pale-as-death skin closing up.

She had ordered him to kill the girl, as quickly and as simply as possible. But instead he turned her brother into a werewolf, and ended up killing everyone except the girl! He quite reminded her of another incident of sending an incompetent hunter after a girl that should be easy to kill. She cast the thought from her mind, instead occupying it with summoning Brittany. If Kraven could not complete this task, perhaps Brittany could. She may have a mouth on her, but she took things more seriously than Kraven did. She thought.

Just as Brittany materialized, the Queen waved her hand dismissively, and Kraven's body was shoved unceremoniously into the winds by an invisible force. The body was ashes in seconds, and gone completely in under a minute. Once it was out of her sight, she turned gracefully to face Brittany. "Was that… Kraven?" Brittany asked, obviously shaken. "Yes," the Queen replied smoothly in her venomous voice. "That is what will happen to you, if you fail this task."

Brittany gulped.

Fangs PoV

I paced around the living room. Max should have been here an hour ago. "Fang, dude, calm down. She'll be here." Iggy said reassuringly. "No, Iggy." I responded. "Something isn't right." I could tell, it was nagging in the back of my mind. "Well, you cant just run to her house, can you?" he joked. Then he saw the look in my eye. "No, Fang, that wasn't a sugges-" I whirled around and ran out the back door before he could finish his sentence.

It took me 7 minutes to run all the way to Maxs. I slowed to a stunned stop when I saw the front door. It was gone. Frowning, I walked all the way up the drive and peered into the house. The door was leaning on the opposite wall in a sea of splinters. I ventured inside, making sure my footsteps were silent as they could possibly be. There was a knot in my stomach the size of a baseball. It tightened when I saw the drops of blood on the carpet, and the six claw shaped marks on the wall.

I cautiously turned the corner… and time stopped. The floor, the wall, hell even the ceiling had blood on them. On the floor with her throat horrifically ripped open was Valencia, Maxs mom. And lying next to her, arms around her, knife in hand, absolutely _covered_ in gore…was Max. The scene was so awful I had to close my eyes for a minute. Unfortunately, that didn't make the image of a blood covered hall disappear from my head. After a few moments and a couple of deep breaths, I forced my eyes open.

I walked over to them, wincing as my shoes squeaked on the blood soaked carpet, and knelt next to Max, enduring the feeling of cold blood seeping through my jeans. I quickly checked her over. "Please be alive, please be alive." I murmured desperately. She was breathing. I bit back my sigh of relief as I examined her. One arm had three long gashes on it, still bleeding slightly. Her other hand still gripped the jagged kitchen knife, which dripped red and had bits of tissue stuck to the edges. Her dirty blonde hair had been practically dyed red by the blood in which she lay, drenching her clothing in the crimson hue as well.

I tucked some of her blood matted hair behind her ear, then got to my feet. Before I could move her, I had to find Ari. I followed the bloody footprints and the blood spatter on the walls into the kitchen. What I saw in that room was almost worse than the hallway. The counters and tiled floor were smeared with red, and there was a handprint on the back door window. Sprawled on his back in the middle of the floor… lay Ari. He was fully morphed, muzzle fur and all. A piece of flesh on his snout hung limply. His claws and fur were matted with dried blood. His throat had been slit, in a much neater way than the tearing in Valencia's neck. Still bleeding and oozing digestive fluid was a long wound in his abdomen, starting in the middle of his stomach and descending several inches.

I gulped and turned away, taking several seconds to collect myself before returning to Max. I knelt beside her and was about to pick her up when she sat bolt upright, eyes wild and brandishing the knife. I caught her wrist, murmuring, "Whoa, easy there Max." as I did so. Her head snapped around to look at me with scared eyes, set in a face painfully stained with red. She studied me for so long, I was worried she'd forgotten who I was. Until her body went limp.

The knife dropped from her hand, she buried her bloody face in my chest, and started sobbing.

(A/N Kinda fillery, kind of not. Not sure. Review please. :P And if you didn't already, read the A/N at the top.

UNC-

Silence)


	17. Chapter 17

Fangs PoV

I wrapped my arms around her, despite the feeling of blood seeping through my clothing, and held her close. "I… I killed him." She choked out. "I killed Ari." I shushed her. "it's ok ,Max. You can tell me what happened after you get cleaned up. Let's go over to my house." She shook her head. "I can't leave! Angel and Gazzy will be home soon, and-" "I'll send Iggy to pick them up." I interrupted. " He has his permit and can pass for 16, at least." She didn't answer, her tears making little trails through the blood that had dried on her cheeks.

I stood and pulled Max to her feet. "What about my mom?" she asked. I felt sick. "I don't know Max." I said with a sigh. "Let's just get to my house, and we can sort that out later." She didn't say anything, so I started leading her out of the house of horrors. She leaned heavily on me, and was still crying silently. As we walked, I wrapped on arm around her waist to hold her up and used my other hand to take out my phone and call Iggy.

"Fang? What happened?" Iggy practically yelled, picking up almost before the phone had rang. "Hey Iggy." I said, feeling drained of all my energy. "I need you to take the car and pick up Angel and Gazzy. Bring them to our house. Max and I will be there in a few minutes." "Fang, what happ-" "Ill explain later!" I snapped. "Just go get Angel and Gazzy!" Without another word, the line went dead. I sighed and put it back in my pocket.

We reached the back door of the house just as Iggy pulled out of the driveway. I let us inside. As soon as we stepped through the door, Max collapsed to her knees on the tiled floor. She wasn't crying anymore, it was just pure mental and physical exhaustion. I knelt down in front of her. "Max." she glanced at me between the fingers that were covering her face. "You should go take a shower." I said, since I hated seeing her covered in so much blood. "I don't want to. I just want to go to sleep and not wake up." She mumbled.

"No." I responded fiercely. "You'll take a shower, and you can go to sleep after, but you will wake up again. I won't let you stay asleep." She groaned, but let me take her upstairs to the bathroom. I handed her a towel from the linen closet. I knew better than to try to help her any more, she hated feeling helpless. She took in numbly and shuffled into the bathroom. I heard the lock click, then the water started running. I stumbled back downstairs and fell backwards onto the couch, pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes, trying to erase the images from that house.

It wasn't working. I couldn't get rid of the images of the bodies, the blood, Max… After a while, I don't know how long, I heard the lock turn in the front door, and three sets of footsteps. "Iggy." Came Angels sweet little girl voice, "Why is Fang on the couch like that?" "He's just tired, sweety." Iggy said gently. "Why don't you and Gazzy go find a board game to play, alright?" "Ok!" she cried happily. "Come on Gazzy!" I heard two light sets of footsteps rush away into another room. The couch sank slightly as Iggy sat down on it.

"So, what happened?" he asked. I sighed. "I'm not really sure." I admitted. "I haven't asked Max. All I know is that Valencia was killed, and Max somehow killed Ari." He sat in stunned silence. Eventually, I broke it. "Nudge will be home in a little while." I said. "Uh huh." Iggy muttered, clearly still digesting the information. I heard the shower upstairs switch off, and creaked up to my feet. I trudged upstairs, hearing my feet land dully on the stairs, and raided my closet for something for Max to wear. I ended up handing her a pair of black sweat pants and a black hoodie through the bathroom door.

When she opened the door, I felt a heavy weight come off my chest. She looked like herself again, not like she'd been dipped dyed red. Her hair was its natural color, dampening the hoodie where it rested against her shoulders. Her skin had returned to its tan tone. Her eyes were rimmed in red, and her cheeks were slightly pale, but otherwise she looked like herself. "You can sleep in my room, if you want." I found myself saying. "I'll wash your clothes. Angel and Gazzy are downstairs, and Nudge will be home in a little while."

She didn't say anything, just nodding and walking past me towards my bedroom. I sighed, yet again, as the door closed behind her back. Then I shook myself and got to work. First I gathered up her bloodstained clothing and stuck it in the washing machine. Then I peeked in on Angel and Gazzy. They were happily playing with Nudges stuff. Speaking of Nudge, according to the time she would be home in about half an hour. She had gone with my parents to do various errands instead of going to school because of Lissa.

"Did you find out what happened yet?" I turned to see Iggy standing behind me, giving me a curious look. "No." I responded. "I'm letting her sleep. She's exhausted." He nodded. "That's a good idea." He shot me a look. "What did you see in there?" he asked, obviously referring to Maxs house. My eyes shut of their own violation, and memories rolled through my mind. "Bodies… blood…" my voice trailed off and I shuddered. When I opened my eyes, Iggy was gazing at me with concern. "Lets just say it was bad." I concluded, looking away.

Several moments of silence followed, until Iggy spoke. "I'll make something for Max to eat when she wakes up." He suggested. "That's a good idea." I returned, a thankful note in my voice.

"She needs all the help she can get."

(A/N Sorry im so late. Review please! I know it's a little fillery, but try anyway. :)

UNC-

Silence)


	18. Chapter 18

Maxs PoV

I don't know how long I slept. Three hours, maybe more? When I first woke up, I didn't quite remember what had happened. Then it hit me like a tidal wave, and I had to bury my face into the pillow to smother my sob. I still couldn't believe any of that had actually happened, but I had the gouges in my arm to prove it. I looked down at them to make sure they were still there, and was surprised to see bandages covering them. Fang must have done it while I was sleeping. Downstairs, I heard the oven go off, Fangs parents talking quietly, and a little girl laugh.

Angel and Gazzy. How was I going to explain any of this to them? That their big brother had gone wolf and killed their mom, and that their sister had to kill him? I got shakily to my feet, the long hoodie sleeves falling over my hands. I bunched them up in my fists and stepped silently out into the hallway. I padded down the hallway and descended the stairs. As I got closer to the kitchen, I smelled cookies, and heard Gazzy exclaim happily, "Iggy made cookies!" I smiled sadly to myself and continued on my stealthy recon.

As I passed the living room, I heard Fangs parents talking. "I understand Max being here." I heard his dad saw a little begrudgingly. "But why are her siblings here?" "Does it really matter?" his mom countered. "Nudge and the boys adore them, so let's just play along alright?" "But why is Max in Fangs clothes?" his dad insisted. "Calm down Walter." She responded sternly. "I'll ask him later." "Why not ask now Layla?" Walter questioned. "He seems a bit distressed now. I won't push his limit." Layla said firmly. In my mind, I cheered for her. Externally, I moved on.

I stopped in front of the game room. I heard Angels voice coming from the open door, and just under it, a chillingly sweet one. They were reciting a hand games rhyme together, one to the tune of Lemonade. Most would know it. I could hear Angel clapping along with the game as well, but not another set of hands. My blood turned to slush when I heard the words.

_Cyanide *clapclapclap*_

_Broken glass *clapclapclap*_

_Stab my front *clapclapclap*_

_Stab my back *clapclapclap*_

Here it sped up

_Cyanide broken glass stab my front stab my back_

_Spin around_

_Scream out loud_

_In a grave outside of town_

_Freeze_

Angel started laughing sweetly, which made me feel even sicker than I already did. With a sudden surge of courage, I stepped inside.

Angel was alone. There was no one else in the room, but I could've sworn I heard someone else. "Max!" Angel cried, rushing into my arms. I knelt down and embraced her, holding her as close as possible. After a few seconds, she squirmed, so I released her. "Angel." I asked slowly. "Who were you playing with?" "Oh, just my new friend, Ariel." She said with a happy grin on her face. "Really? Can I talk to her?" I asked, feeling dread building in my chest. Angel shook her head. "No. She can't talk." "Why not?" I said carefully.

"A witch took her voice away." Angel said, as if it was the most normal thing ever. "A witch?" I said in a fake surprised tone. "Why would a witch do that to Ariel?" "Ariel said she asked her for something she wasn't meant to have." Angel explained. "So the witch took her voice away so she couldn't ask anymore." I nodded slowly, as though I understood perfectly. "Well, can I at least see her?" Angel looked over her shoulder at some empty air and said, "Well? Can Max see you?" Behind me, I heard someone step inside, and glanced backwards to see Fang standing there with his 'WTH?' look. I held up a finger and turned back to Angel.

Angel looked back at me. "Ariel doesn't want you to see her." She said solemnly. "She's afraid of older kids." "Ok." I said, faking a little disappointed. "Can you at least tell me what she looked like?" "Sure!" Angel said, her curls bouncing. "She has really thick, pretty red hair down to here," she held up a hand to her waist, "big, bright green eyes," she framed her eyes with her hands, "And a green dress with a purple top. And she had a starfish clip in her hair." She motioned to a clip would be if she had bangs. "Wow." I said with admiration. "She sounds really pretty." Angel nodded enthusiastically.

"How old did she say she was?" "She didn't say." Angel said. "But she's tall, not as tall as you Max, but tall." I nodded. "Did you ask what she asked the witch for?" Angels eyes turned sad. "I did, but she wouldn't tell me. She said it made her sad to think about it." Then she brightened again. "But she taught me a new game!" "I heard you playing it." I said with fake happiness. "Did she play it with you?" Angel shook her head. "She cant talk, remember?" she chastised. "But she let her friend play it with me!" "Her friend?" I said, getting even more nervous. "There were two of them?"

Fang knelt down beside me, his dark eyes searching my face. He could tell something wasn't right here, and that I was starting to freak out. "Uh huh." Angel said with a nod. "Her friend didn't say much to me, except when she played with me. She has blonde hair like mine, and blue eyes too! She had on the prettiest blue dress, and a frilly apron." "Do you know her name?" I asked. "Yeah. Her names Alice. Ariel told me Alice was a little scared of me because she got lost once in a magic place and was chased by a lot of people so she doesn't trust people anymore."

"But how could Ariel tell you any of this if she can't talk?" I reminded her. Angel shrugged. "I just heard her voice in my head. Can I go back to playing now?" Numbly, I said, "Sure." Angel gave me another quick hug, then ran back to the center of the room. Fang tugged me gently to my feet and pulled me from the room, shutting the door behind him. "Fang-" I started, but he cut me off. "You ok?" he asked. I thought about everything that had happened the past few days, and shook my head. "No." I started choking on more tears, and Fang pulled me into his arms for a second time.

(A/N TA-DAAAAAA! You like? No like? Tell me!

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Silence)


	19. Chapter 19

Maxs PoV

I pulled away after only a few seconds, swallowing my tears. I would _not_ break down again. I couldn't afford to. "So, I guess you want to know what happened at my house, huh?" I said with a slight, hoarse laugh. "Well, yeah." He admitted. "But you don't have to yet if you don't-" I cut him off, saying, "No, you need to know." He nodded, his black hair brushing his face. I glanced at the closed door, behind which Angel played happily. "We should go somewhere Angel can't hear us." I muttered. I didn't want Angel or Gazzy to hear this, not until I could explain it. Which might never be possible."Ok. You wanna go upstairs back to my room?" he suggested. I nodded, so we headed back upstairs.

Once we reached his bedroom, we sat down on the edge of the unmade bed. Fang looked at me expectantly while I struggled to get the words out. Eventually, I managed to speak. "I wasn't even out of the car before he went for me." my voice was quiet, almost inaudible in the still air. "I dodged him, slammed his fingers in the door. Then I ran inside and hid behind a wall. He broke down the door. I heard him yell, so I looked around the wall to see what was happening. I watched him… morph." Here I stopped and shuddered. Fang gently took my hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

I swallowed and continued on. "That's when I heard my mom coming down the stairs. I couldn't let her get hurt. I yelled at her, told her not to come down. Because I did that, Ari knew where I was and attacked me again, and Mom came down anyway. He was about to rip my throat out, by Mom got his attention before he could. That's when he…" I trailed off and couldn't continue, so I skipped that part. "After he did that, he came after me again. I managed to make it into the kitchen and grab the knife. He grabbed me, so I cut his face. I went for the backdoor, but he caught me again and tried to pull me closer."

Fang turned so that he was facing me head on, concern glinting in his eyes. "I didn't mean to, but… the knife went through his stomach. He didn't let go, and I didn't know what else to do, so I cut downwards, hoping he went let me go. But he didn't. So I…" I had to stop and take a deep breath before I could force out the last words at an almost silent whisper. "I cut his throat." Despite my efforts to hold them back, a few tears streaked down my face. Fang pulled me to him and held me close, letting me cry into his chest yet again. "I'm a murderer." I choked out. "No you aren't." he replied sharply. "Don't you dare tell yourself that."

"But, I killed Ari! And my mom wouldn't be dead if she hadn't tried to protect me." "She protected you because she wanted to." He reasoned. "And you had to kill Ari, or he would've killed you. You know that." I didn't answer, even though that did make me feel better, and just sat back to dry my cheeks. Then I just stared at my sleeve covered hands. "Max." Fang said softly, making me look up at him. Then he did something I never, ever expected him to do. He set one hand gently on the back of my neck, and leaned in towards me. I was surprised to find myself leaning forward as well.

We came closer… and closer… our lips almost touched… and that's when someone banged loudly on the bedroom door. We sprang apart, my face flushing a bright red. Fang, of course, looked as impassive as ever. "Max, Fang!" came Gazzy's happy voice. "Iggy made cookies! Your favorite Max!" I gulped and managed to call back, "Ok sweetie, we'll be out in a minute!" I felt ashamed at the slight tremble in my voice. We heard Gazzy's footsteps retreat back down the hall. I waited until I couldn't hear them anymore before standing up.

I stood there awkwardly for a moment before starting for the door. To my great surprise, Fang caught hold of my wrist and swung me around to face him, only a few inches from his face. "I am not letting you leave this room until I do this at least once." He murmured. Then my eyes went wide as he pressed his lips fully on mine. Despite the fact that all of my mental alarms were blaring in fight or flight mode, my eyes closed and I tilted my head to the right. He tilted his head the other way, deepening the kiss while I twined my arms around his neck. His arms tightened around my waist.

Suddenly, something clicked in my mind. What the hell am I doing?! Sudden fear coursed through me, and I yanked myself away from Fang, breaking the kiss. I caught a glimpse of his surprised black eyes as I ran out of the room. I dashed down the hall to the bathroom, then dropped and sat crisscross on the floor.

I buried my face in a fluffy towel and shrieked like a banshee.

(A/N Alright, so that chapter was fluffy. But you wanted Fax, so I gave you Fax. And, I also put in a quote from a Max Ride book in there somewhere. Can you spot it?

UNC-

Silence)


	20. Chapter 20

Fangs PoV

After Max ran out, I spun around and kicked the bed, hard. What the hell was I thinking?! Kissing Max like that, out of nowhere? Worst idea in the entire freaking universe. There goes our friendship, right out the window. I groaned and did a faceplant onto my bed. I spent the next few minutes wallowing in stupidity until someone knocked on the door and I heard someone step inside. "Fang? What are you doing?" Iggy. "Just being an idiotic screw up." I responded. "You know, the usual." "What are you talking about?" I heard his footsteps on the floor as he walked into the room. I didn't answer. "Fang? Answer me." Nothing. "Why did Max lock herself in the bathroom?"

I kept my jaw stubbornly shut. "Fang!" "Alright, fine! I kissed her, ok? I kissed Max." Silence. Then, "What?" "You heard me." I muttered. After another short pause, Iggy spoke again. "Did she kiss you back?" My head shot up. "What?!" I said sharply. Iggy was leaning against the opposite wall with a smug smile on his face. "Did. She. Kiss. You. Back?" he said slowly, as though speaking to an idiot. I let my head fall back down. "No. Well, yes. Sort of." "It's a simple question Fang. Either she did, or she didn't. Which is it?" "I guess she did, but then she ran away." I explained.

"You know how Max is. She's probably just scared." He reasoned. "That doesn't help." I mumbled. "Look, I've seen how she acts around you. She just needs time to th-" "Don't play me Iggy!" I snapped., looking up. "Im not playing you. I mean it. Just let her think for awhile, and try a less direct approach next time." He winked at me, and left. I groaned again and let my head all back to the bed.

Maxs PoV

I don't know how long I sat on the floor, until my legs started going numb, before someone knocked on the door. "Max, I need to talk to you." "I don't want to talk, Iggy." I called back. "Too bad, cause you're going to." He responded stubbornly. I groaned to myself and forced myself to my feet to open the door. "You sound like Fang." I told him as I stepped out. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." He said, leaning against the wall. I tensed immediately. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Don't play dumb Max, I know he kissed you." Mentally, I face palmed. Iggy was Fangs twin brother, of course he knows.

"So? What about it?" I asked testily. "It didn't really mean anything." "It did to him." Iggy answered with a sudden protective gleam in his eye. I shook my head. "He probably hates me for running away." I muttered. "No, he doesn't. He hates himself for ruining everything." Iggy said. I sighed and said, "Iggy, please. This is complicated enough without-" "Max, please just listen to me." He cut in. "Fang is worried that he ruined your guys' friendship. So, if you can't love him the way he loves you, at least let things go back to the way they were." With that, he left.

I just stood there with a shocked look on my face. Did he really say what I think he just said? About Fang…loving me? After a few seconds, I yelled, "Iggy! Get your scrawny ass back here and explain what the hell you just said!" and ran down the stairs after him. I caught his arm just as he was about to enter the kitchen. "What was that?" I hissed at him. "What? About Fang?" he said, playing dumb. "Yes, about Fang!" I whispered sharply. "It's true. He loves you." I gritted my teeth. "He can't love me!" I insisted. "And why not?" he countered. "Why is it so hard for you to accept the fact that someone could love you?" I gave him an exasperated look.

"Max?" we both turned to look down at Angel, who stood there with big eyes and a cookie in her hand. I let go of Iggys arm and knelt down to her level. "Yeah sweetie?" "Why are you fighting with Iggy?" "We aren't fighting, honey. We're just talking." I reassured her. She gave me an unbelieving look. She opened her mouth again, but was cut off by Gazzy yelling, "Angel! You better hurry or I'll eat the last cookie!" "No Gazzy!" she wailed, shoving the remainder of her cookie into her mouth and dashing off into the kitchen. Iggy looked back at me. "Max-" "No Iggy." I said. "I'm sorry, but I just can't believe that." Before he could say anything else, I turned and rushed out the back door.

It was about 7 p.m., and the sun was just setting. I walked around to the side of the house where the message was written, and ducked under the caution tape that surrounded it. I stopped and just looked at the two words that had dried brown on the wall. Mentally, I went through my day. No sleep, followed by a crazy slide show, followed by early morning confession to Fang. Then Lissa being stabbed, then Ari attack one, then the hospital, Ari attack 2, my mom dying, killing Ari, and kissing Fang. All in one freaking day! I swear, a freaking soap opera could not hold a candle to today. I sighed and rested my head in my hands. It wouldn't stop pounding. I couldn't think, all I could feel was pressure. Building up, building up, and not being let out.

Behind me, a twig snapped. I jumped and whirled around, adrenaline pouring into my system. When I saw what stood behind me, I froze. "Hey." The girl said in a poisonous voice. "You know, there are supposed to be three of you. Mind telling me where the other two are?" She grinned maliciously and tilted her head to one side, letting the blood matted blonde hair fall over the eyes that were wrapped in a bloody bandage. Despite my fear, I clenched my jaw and narrowed my eyes into a glare. Her smile turned into a smirk, and she flipped a piece of broken glass in her hand.

"If you wont tell me, I guess I'll find the other two myself."

(A/N There was a little plot there at the end, but the rest was fluff.

UNC-

Silence)


	21. Chapter 21

Maxs PoV

I stood frozen in place, refusing to give anything away, even though every fiber in my body was telling me to protect the others. "Come on." The girl taunted with a sick grin. "You're all going to die anyway, so why not die together?" her voice almost made me shiver, but I fought against it and responded, "None of us are going to die." Somehow my voice came out strong and unwavering. "You're sure?" she teased. I gulped and managed a nod.

Without another word, she hurled the piece of glass at my heart. Adrenaline flooding through me, I threw myself to the side, causing the glass to imbed its sharp point into the wall behind me instead of my chest. If the girl had had eyes, she would have blinked in surprise. Her momentary astoundment gave me the time I needed to run back inside and lock the door. I had barely done this, however, before she was summoning shard after shard of the glass and hurling it at the back door, her already red stained face turning even redder with rage.

"Iggy!" I yelled. He came running. "What is it?" he asked, worry covering his face. "Get your parents, Nudge, and Angel and Gazzy somewhere safe! And while you're at it, tell Fang to get his lovesick butt down here!" I ordered. "Why?" he asked, obviously not grasping the urgency in my voice. "Because a psycho girl with broken glass is trying to kill us!" I hissed at a whisper, not wanting my siblings to hear. I had barely finished before he was out of the room. I exhaled deeply and leaned against the wall opposite the door. I could see the tips of the glass sticking through the wood.

What I had been fearing happened: A spike of pain imbedded itself through my skull. I doubled over, grasping my head in two shaking hands, as one image stubbornly plastered itself against my retinas. The boy with glass through his eyes. A sudden rush of cold realization raced through my being: It was Gazzy! The crazy girl was going to kill him! I wanted to run to him, to scream, to do anything, but all I could do was stand there, bent in pain, hoping my skull wouldn't crack in two. "Max?" the sudden sound startled me and made me flinch, which then led to me almost falling.

In an instant, warm arms were wrapped around me, steadying me and gently setting me on the floor. I took a deep breath, then forced my eyes open. Fang stood above me, concern swirling in his dark eyes. "Max, are you ok?" he asked, kneeling down to look me in the eye. "I had another vision." I said shakily. "What did you see this time?" he responded patiently. "The boy. The one with the glass in his eyes. And I know who it is." I explained, feeling panic start to seep through the adrenaline haze. "Who?" "It was Gazzy. She's going to kill Gazzy." I felt tears well up, then stubbornly pushed them down. Now was not the time to break down!

"We won't let her." Fang said in a determined tone, his clenched jaw somehow amplifying the sight of the gash on his cheek. Or maybe it was the glass being thrown at the door. Out of the blue, the door stopped shaking. A creepy, insane sounding laugh floated through the door, making chills run up and down my spine and made my stomach feel like it was doing somersaults. "You distracted me with fury." She said, still laughing. "Good trick, brat. But I've got a few that you don't know about." A mere moment after the voice stopped, a wail echoed through the house. One of primal fear.

Gazzy.

I yelled his name and sprinted up the stairs, Fang on my heels. I skidded, literally, to a stop in front of the hallway leading to Fangs room. In the center stood the girl, her arm around the throat of my thrashing brother. "Gazzy!" I yelled again, starting to lunge forward. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Fang caught me by the waist and held me close, not letting me move. "Told you." She said mockingly. Then she tilted her head slightly, apparently looking at Fang. "So glad you could join us." She tittered. "How do you like my handiwork?" Fang didn't react. "Alright." She said, suddenly growing bitter. "Now, we can do this one of 3 ways. 1. You both die here and I hunt down the blonde haired one on my own. 2. You tell me where he is, and all three of you die a valiant death together. 3. You don't tell me, and I kill this boy. Then I kill you slowly and painfully, then hunt down the third. Which shall it be?"

"Max." Gazzy pleaded, fear shining in his tear filled eyes. "What's going on?" "Shut up, brat!" she snarled. She held a piece of glass in front of him. "Do you know what this is?" she said angrily. "This is something that could kill you in two seconds flat! So unless you want to meet your Maker, I suggest you shut up!" By the end of her speech, I was shaking with anger, my fists clenching and my vision going red. Gazzy whimpered, but didn't say anything else. He was scared. That was the bottom line. I wrenched myself from Fangs arms and lunged for the girl. Not giving her time to react, I let my hands go for her throat.

She made a small sound of surprise, but her face twisted in anger again and she moved to stab Gazzy. NO! I had lost enough family today! I let out a scream of fury and barreled into her, knocking all three of us to the floor. However, as soon as I had her pinned, she was gone in a puff of purple smoke, reappearing a few feet away, still holding Gazzy. Great, she could teleport. What next? Gritting my teeth, I leapt to my feet, only to have Fang grab me again. I fought him, but his grip was like a steel vise. "Tsk, tsk, tsk." She sounded, shaking her head almost regretfully. "I had hoped you wouldn't do that. I guess I have no choice now."

I watched in horror as she thrust the glass into the Gasman's eye socket.

(A/N Sorry for the longish wait. Reviews please!

And Music Anonymous, you are one of the most amusing reviewers I have. Keep at it! :P

UNC-

Silence)


	22. Chapter 22

Maxs PoV

Gazzy let out the most horrifying shriek I have ever heard, one that broke my heart. He was clawing desperately at the glass, blood and tears running down his face, as he screamed in pain and fear and called out for his Mommy.

Who was also dead.

I screamed in rage and pure hurt, lunging against Fangs hold yet again. He still wouldn't let me go, though I could feel his slight tremble against me. Gazzy continued to scream, smearing blood over little face and hands and staining his clothes as he tried to get the glass out without it hurting. "Let him go!" I yelled as loud as I could. "Let him go, you little bitch! It's us you want, not him!" She just made a mocking face at me. "Aw, does this hurt Maxie?" she cooed, and materialized another shard of glass. Before I could so much as scream, she had imbedded it in Gazzy's other eye.

His howl nearly shattered the windows. I could distinguish, barely, words from his cries. "Mommy, make it stop! It hurts! Make it stop! Please!" Tears were rolling freely down my cheeks as I sobbed and raved, still fighting against Fang. All of a sudden, Gazzy stopped screaming. He went limp. "No!" I wailed, feeling my heart completely shatter. "Oh, what a shame." The girl taunted. "His wailing was so lovely. Like a symphony. Don't you agree?" She cackled and let Gazzy's body drop unceremoniously to the floor. "No! No no no no no no _no_!" I shouted. With a mighty yank, I broke away from Fang's grip.

Fangs PoV

Max practically flew at the girl. Unfortunately, she saw it coming and teleported away. Max whirled and went for her again, pure rage and blood lust driving her. I tore my gaze away from the battle, as hard as that was to do, and rushed over to Gazzy's body. When I touched him, I could already feel him cooling. Panic rushing through me and blood soaking through the knees of my jeans, I quickly felt for a pulse or a heartbeat. Nothing.

Gazzy was dead.

I felt my stomach churn, and I had to force bile back out of my throat. I forced my eyes up to his face, and barely succeeded in keeping the bile down this time. His face was bloodstained and tear stained, almost looking like the girls ghastly visage. The pieces of glass that were imbedded in his face were thick, made of black, wavy glass. Around the points, you could see his bloodshot eyes bulging up around the glass. Blood spattered the glass, along with bits of tissue. There were scratches around his eyes from his fingernails as he had tried to claw out the glass. I couldn't take it anymore.

I had to look away.

Back at the battle that still waged. Max looked unscathed, and even more furious than before. The girl wasn't exactly fazed, but she seemed to be concentrating pretty hard to keep ahead of Max. After a few more lunges and teleports, she suddenly froze. "Enough." The girl said venomously. "I'm tired of your games, rat." She snarled at Max. With stunning speed, she whipped something from her belt and hurled it at Max. "Max!" I cried, but she had already thrown herself to the floor. The knife the girl had thrown imbedded itself into the wall behind her. When I looked at it more carefully, I saw that it was identical to the one the shadow had had.

"Damn it!" the girl shrieked, then literally _flew_ across the hallway and pinned Max to the wall by the throat. Adrenaline started pumping; my breathing picked up, my vision narrowed, my heart started thumping. My eyes focused on the dagger that was still imbedded in the wall, and I knew what I had to do. It was my only shot at saving Max. I started shuffling unobtrusively towards it, while the girl hissed in Maxs face. "You're dead!" she hissed. "You're little boyfriend is dead! His blonde brother is dead! His family will be dead! And so will whatever the hell remains of yours!" She pressed the tip of yet another dagger against her stomach. "But it'll all start with you."

Now I was right next to the blade, facing the girls exposed back. I slowly and carefully eased the knife out of the wall, making next to no sound. Not that I could have heard one anyway, with all the blood that was roaring in my ears. I was scared. 'Focus!' I yelled in my head. This was my only chance to save Max, I couldn't wimp out! My plan had been to creep up behind her and stab her in the back. That plan disappeared when I saw the girl pull back her arm, about to plunge the dagger through Max. 'Now!' I mentally shouted. I acted on instinct. I don't remember throwing the knife, feeling it leave my fingers, seeing it fly through the air.

I do remember it plunging into the girls back. I do remember hearing her strangled gasp and Max's startled one. I remember seeing black slime pour from the wound instead of blood. I remember watching numbly as she slowly turned to me, her mouth forming an O of surprise. The blood slime oozed from her mouth, dribbling to the floor. Her skin slowly turned a purple gray. The bandage around her eyes fell to the ground, revealing the empty sockets and also poured forth the dark goo. With one final shriek, she exploded into purple dust, that then settled into a pile at Maxs feet, with the dagger laying atop it.


	23. Chapter 23

Maxs PoV

For a moment I just stood there, staring numbly at Fang, whose face I couldn't see well in the darkened hallway. Then my eyes settled on the still form of Gazzy, sprawled across the carpet. I sprang forward with a strangled cry. Fang, however, got to me first and held me back from his body. "No! No, Fang, let me go! I have to help him!" I babbled shrilly, fighting against his grip. "You can't help him, Max!" he responded. He was trying to seem cool and collected, but I could hear the undercurrents of fear and panic underneath it.

"I have to! He's my brother I have to help him!" Fang let go of me long enough to grab my wrists and make me look directly at him. "Max, stop." He said evenly. "You can't do anything. Gazzy's dead." His face was blank, but his eyes held deep sadness. My eyes widened, and I felt dread snake its way through me and broke through the adrenaline haze. My eyes shifted over Fangs shoulder, to the dark huddle that was Gazzy. My dark adjusted eyes couldn't sense only movement from him, not even breathing.

A small sound of despair escaped me, and my knees started to crumble. Fang lowered me softly to the ground and held me. I felt all energy, emotion, and thought drain out of me. I went completely numb. I just sat on the floor in Fangs arms, not moving, thinking, or feeling. Gazzy is dead. Ari is dead. Mom is dead. And it's all my fault for reading that damn book and starting this whole thing. All of this is my fault.

A shriek echoed through the house, startling me out of my trance. A hall light flipped on, making me blink rapidly and squint. When my eyes managed to adjust back to the light, I saw Iggy standing at the end of the hallway and Angel staring at Gazzy with huge scared eyes. "Angel." I murmured quietly, automatically standing up and moving toward her. Before I could get close, she had rushed to her brother and was sobbing quietly into his chest. I said her name quietly again, and gently pulled her away from Gazzy. She turned into me and cried silently into my neck. I closed my eyes and just held her close.

I opened my eyes when I heard footsteps going past me. It was Fang, pulling Iggy aside, probably to explain what had happened. "Max." I looked down at Angel. "What is it sweetie?" I asked tiredly. "I want to go home. I want to see Mommy." I flashed back to earlier, and my vision clouded with tears again. "I'm sorry, baby, I really am, but we can't go home yet." "Why not?" I was so, so tired. I just wanted to sleep. And stay asleep. "It's complicated." I said. "But we have to stay here for a while. I'm sorry I can't tell you more." "Is Gazzy dead?" My eyes widened, my guilt and sadness forgotten, replaced by shock. When I looked down at Angel, she was still crying, but her eyes held understanding beyond that of a six year old. "How do you know about that kind of stuff?" I asked, already dreading the answer.

"Alice and Ariel told me a lot of stuff. Is he?" I gulped. "Yes." I finally whispered. More tears squeezed out of her eyes. "I'm so sorry Angel." I murmured into her hair.

"It isn't your fault, Max."

(A/N I'm really sorry its been a week, and I'm really sorry it's so short, but I really am not in the mood for this. Really. My emotions are jacked, so be kind when you review, k?

UNC-

Silence)


	24. Chapter 24

Third Person PoV

"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!" The Queens furious shriek made even the mist cease swirling for a few moments. Her skin spiderwebbed with cracks, a few pieces even falling out. Her hair was engulfed completely in angry red flames that leapt ten feet above her not insignificant height. She whirled and began pacing, her footprints burning into the ground. Pieces of her skin continued to fall, revealing the black emptiness within her. "How could they possibly be doing this?" she muttered. "How can they possibly be beating me?" She gave a short cry, and the flames flared a bit. "No! They aren't beating me!" She ran/stomped over to the orbs and waved her hand quickly over them.

Three images formed. The first was the blonde girl, sitting against a wall with her eyes closed and a little girl sleeping in her lap. The second was the two brothers, seemingly discussing something. The third was two older people sleeping on a large bed, with a teenaged dark skinned girl sleeping on the floor next to it. The Queen narrowed her eyes as the flames died down and her skin started smoothing over again. Who to choose? Does she attack on of the actual targets? Or does she wear them down by killing those closest to them? The second option seemed to have a negative effect on the blonde girl, making her increasingly desperate to save her brother after Kraven stupidly slaughtered her older brother and mother.

Hmmmm. The Queen lightly tapped her nails against the orbs as she considered. She mustn't be hasty here. This is an important decision, and should be treated accordingly. To be sure, the blonde one interested her the most. What was it about her that made her so difficult to kill? What was it that made the dark haired boy so infatuated with her? For surely that's all it was, infatuation. They could not possibly truly love, not at their age. It was simply lust, it couldn't possibly be anything else. And why does family mean so much to her? Did it mean as much to the other two as the girl? There was a thought. The girl had shown her dedication to family, as odd as it was. But the two brothers were different. How would they react if a member of their family was lost? Would they react the same way the girl had, or differently?

She had to know.

Maxs PoV

Eventually, I fell asleep against the wall, holding Angel in my lap, her small arms twined tightly around my neck. I was holding her just as tightly. I was worried if I didn't, she would disappear. Just like the other members of my family had. Unfortunately, my sleep wasn't exactly peaceful. I awoke several times, panting and drenched in a cold sweat. I had a sick feeling that this wouldn't be the only night spent reliving the deaths of my family.

The last time I awoke, a few hours before dawn, I wasn't woken up by my own nightmares. Instead, I jolted awake to the sound of Angel screaming shrilly. I looked around frantically for a moment, but there wasn't anything there. That's when I noticed Angels eyes were still closed. A nightmare. I held her in an embrace, murmuring to her and hushing her. After a few moments, her screams quieted to whimpers, then those faded until she sat up and looked at me, sleep still in her eyes. "I had a nightmare." She whispered in a broken voice. I sighed and held her closer still, if it was possible. "I know." I murmured. "I did too." She leaned back onto my shoulder and closed her eyes again, and after a minute of two I felt her breathing drop back into sleep mode.

My muscles groaning, I slowly got to my feet and carried Angel into Fangs room. I laid down on the messy bed with her, still not letting go, and let myself fall asleep once again.

Fangs PoV

After giving Iggy the long and painful rundown, I conked out on one couch, and he on the other. I knew Max was upstairs with Angel, and wanted to give them some time alone. Besides, I was exhausted. I went through nightmare after nightmare, but I never woke up until late the next morning. When I finally roused myself, I looked around groggily and saw Ig still snoring on the opposite couch. I got up and slowly made my way upstairs, noting on the way that it was already 11:30. When I reached the hall where everything had happened the night before, I was shocked to find that where Gazzy's body had been previously there was only a small pile of black ash. There must have been something on the glass that did it.

I just shook my head and kept moving. I peered into my parents room and saw them and Nudge inside, sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of what had occurred the night before. Then I reached my room. Max was sleeping on my bed, holding Angel in her arms. As I watched, Max shifted slightly, then opened her eyes.

Maxs PoV

When I finally opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was the noon sunshine streaming through the windows. The second thing I noticed was the fact that Fang was watching me. "Morning." He said gruffly. I nodded to him. "There's something out here you should probably see, if you're up for it." I gritted my teeth and nodded, forcing my sore body to sit and then stand without waking Angel. I didn't wait for him, instead walking past him and out into the hallway without looking at him. I stopped when I saw it.

Gazzy's body had turned to ash. I just sighed and turned back around to look at Fang. "Easier to get rid of now." I said. "I bet the same thing happened to Ari and Mom." Fang looked shocked at my emotionlessness, but nodded. I ignored him and went into the bathroom, where I hung over the sink and splashed my face over and over with cold water. I made a decision.

No more being afraid. No more breaking down. No more being weak. I had to survive, be strong, and protect Fangs family and what remains of mine. I would finally get a chance to live up to my name.

I would be the Maximum.

(A/N I now the ending was a bit cliché, but character development is important! Review please, ill try to have the next chappie up faster.

UNC-

Silence)


	25. Chapter 25

(A/N Sorry, authors note. Anyway, I've got some pretty bad writers block and I need help from you guys! So leave me ideas in the reviews, and I'll try and get a chapter up as soon as I have some good ideas.

Sorry again,

Silence)


	26. Chapter 26

**Maxs PoV**

After a few more minutes to solidify my composure, I stood up straight and dried my face. Just as I was reaching for the doorknob, someone knocked on the door. "Max, are you ok?" Fang. I swiftly pulled the door open, seeing Fang blink in surprise. "I'm fine." I said strongly. He nodded, and I pushed past him and went to go stand in the bedroom doorway and look at Angel, who was still asleep. After a moment, I turned back to Fang, who was watching me silently. "We have to clean up the ashes." I said bluntly. "And we should probably go to my house and see what's going on there." Fang blinked, but after he got over his initial shock, he nodded once.

"Iggy can stay here. Hopefully we'll get back before your parents wake up, but if not, he can think of something to tell them." I continued. Fang nodded again. "Alright. Let's get started." I said, and moved to clean up the ash in the hallway. Something was… off with Fang and me. The atmosphere was tense and silent, almost awkward. I could feel his stare on my back whenever I turned away, but when I turned back he was always doing something else, his face completely impassive. At the odd moment I could meet his eyes, they were flat and dead. I felt a rock settle into my gut, but I ignored it. I didn't have time for… whatever this was. So once we were done with the hallway, we slipped quietly out of the house. The walk over to my house was silent, with Fang glancing at me every other minute. I kept my gaze locked straight ahead, refusing to look at him.

After a tense 10 minute walk, we finally reached my house. I know Fang expected me to stop or show some other form of discomfort, but I just strode right inside. Outside, I appeared calm and collected, almost Fang-like. Inside, my stomach was churning and my heart was pounding. But I kept going. We went through the kitchen door, the bloody handprint a dried on brown. It squeaked ominously as we opened it. The floor was still covered in dried blood, but where Ari's body should have been was a pile of purple dust. I clenched my jaw and nodded a bit to myself before moving on into the hallway, Fang on my heels.

The hallway was a horror show, but Mom's body wasn't there. Instead just a pile of black dust. "Alright," I said after a second to take it all in. "I'll go get some cleaning stuff. This might take a little longer than I had expected." I headed upstairs without waiting for Fang's answer. First, I went to my room to change. Then I gathered up some cleaning stuff and headed back downstairs to Fang.

A long, long time later, we finally finished. While we had been cleaning up the paper that had come out of my bag when Ari shredded it, we found the book. That goddamned book. I forced back the tears of anger and picked it up to take it with me. "What are you doing?" Fang had asked. "I'm gonna burn it." I answered without looking at him. If I couldn't bury my family, at least I could get rid of the cause for their deaths. Fang didn't say anything after that.

It was 4 in the afternoon by the time we finished. I was glad to be out in the open air again after being trapped in that hell house. My nerves were jacked all to hell, but I didn't show it. 'Don't be weak.' I reminded myself. 'Weak is no longer an option.' On the way back, Fang decided now would be a _wonderful_ time to bring up the _most awkward topic he had_ In his arsenal. The kiss. "Max." he said quietly. "Yeah?" "We have to talk, you know." I gritted my teeth and answered, "Talk about what?" "Don't play dumb." I stopped and spun around to face him. "Listen to me Fang: _there is nothing to talk about. _This, whatever this is, now is not the time to harp on it. Most of my family is dead and they're going to come after yours next. So snap out of it and focus."

I spun back around and took off at a run. As I ran, I mentally smacked myself over and over. Running had just confirmed that I_ did_ feel something. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have ran. The problem is, I ran so fast I didn't see Fang's face.

**Fangs PoV**

…Ouch. That hurt, quite a bit actually. Why does she have such a problem with the idea that I care about her? Why is she so stubborn about everything? I knew the hurt was clear on my face, and for the first time ever I had to fight to put my emotionless mask back on.

As I continued my walk towards my house, I realized something was wrong with Max. And it wasn't just the awkwardness from the kiss. She had changed somehow. I wasn't sure how, but I would figure it out.

**(A/N Yay! I finally got an idea!Victory is mine! And special thanks to the 2 people that reviewed and gave me some ideas. Hopefully I'll get more in this chapter.**

**UNC-**

**Silence) **


	27. Chapter 27

**Maxs PoV**

When I stepped inside the house, I was met by Fang's parents, who were staring at me suspiciously. "So." Walter said severely. "Why don't you tell us what's really going on?" I blinked, recalling the conversation he and Fangs mom Layla had had yesterday. "What do you mean?" I asked innocently. "Come on Max." he responded. "Iggy told me your mother was on vacation, but we both know this isn't true. Now your little brother is missing, your little sister is sobbing her eyes out and babbling about some Ariel girl, and my son is lying to me." My eyes flicked over his shoulder to where Iggy stood, looking guilty. He mouthed the word 'Sorry.'

"Max!" Walter roared, making me flinch instinctively. "Answer me!" Layla grabbed his arm, saying, "Walter, please!" Just at that moment, I heard the back door open and heard Fangs almost silent step on the floor. Walter shrugged Layla off. "The truth, Max. Now." He demanded coldly. I swallowed and looked down guiltily. "Max." I sighed before saying quietly, "Alright. The truth is… my mom is missing." I saw Walter blink, and quickly continued with my lie. "My big brother Ari is too. When I got home yesterday, they weren't home. I figured I'd wait awhile. They still didn't get home though, and I got nervous and called Fang. He brought me back here with Gazzy and Angel."

"What about your little brother?" Walter asked, still suspicious. Layla looked like she wanted to protest, but ultimately said nothing. "Last night, he wanted to play outside. I told him no, but he snuck out anyway. We looked for him, but we couldn't find him." I managed to plaster a believable anxious look on my face. But his eyes just narrowed. "I don't believe you." He snarled. "Walter!" Layla exclaimed, grabbing her husband again. "Layla, stay out of it!" he shouted, red in the face. When she didn't move, he lashed out and struck her across the face. She fell to the ground with a startled cry. Iggy sprang forward to catch her, staring incredulously at his father. "Stay away, you impetuous boy!" He yelled, and went to hit Iggy too.

Iggy flinched.

Fang grabbed his fathers' arm, shouting, "Dad, stop it!" Walter spun around with a snarl on his face, ready to let Fang have it, but then he looked at his eyes. I could see the hard, steely determination in Fangs gaze, and the barely contained protective rage. Seemingly stunned, Walter slowly looked from Fang to me, standing near the doorway, ready to grab a weapon and jump in. Then his gaze moved to Iggy, who was on the floor glaring at him while cradling his mother, who had a stream of blood coming from one side of her mouth. He staggered a step. "Did… did I do this?" he whispered to himself. Seeing the cold look in our eyes, except for Laylas, he pulled away from Fang and stumbled frantically out the door.

Fang and I watched from the window as he ran to his car, climbed in, and peeled out. After a second more of stunned silence, I started to walk out of the room. "Where are you going?" Fang called out to my retreating back. "To get Angel. We're leaving." Another second of silence, then, "What? Max, wait!" He caught my arm just as I stepped onto the stairwell. "Wait." He said again, a desperate look in his eyes. "We can't stay here." I said solemnly. "It's my fault your dad got so angry. It's us those things are after. We're putting you in danger. We're leaving." "No, Max. Just stop and think a minute." "No, Fang, we have to leave." "No! At least wait until tomorrow, think it over. Don't be hasty about this." He was practically begging me to stay, a pained look in his black eyes.

I couldn't say no to that look. Curse his eyes. I sighed and said, "Oh, alright. Damn you." He cracked a small smile, but I didn't return it. Instead I just marched back upstairs, to think. I found Angel sleeping on Fangs bed, looking incredibly peaceful. I sighed and walked over to her, sitting on the bed and gently stroking her hair.

**Time Skip**

I must have fallen asleep at some point, because I woke hours later to the sound of loud yelling. I rubbed my bleary eyes and peered at Fangs alarm clock. 3:17 a.m. I groaned a bit. "Max?" I looked down at Angel and said, "Go back to sleep Ange. It's gonna be ok." She nodded and went back to sleep. After a second, I stood up and walked/ stumbled down the stairs. I leaned tiredly against the kitchen doorway, where the yelling was, and let my eyes adjust to the light. I wasn't prepared for what I saw.

Walter was arguing with someone. But it wasn't anyone I had known. It, no- she, seemed to float in front of Walter, her feet not touching the ground. I rubbed my eyes, but when I looked again, she was the same. Floating a few inches from the tiles, seeming ethereal and see-through. She wore a long white gown with short sleeves. Her hair was black, stringy and matted. Her back was to me, but I could see the blood stained butchers knife she held tightly in one hand. "You left me." She spoke, her voice whispery, seeming to come and go like the wind blowing. "I'm sorry, Sarah. Really. Please, just let me explain-" "NO!" she said sharply. "You left me to marry her! But that just wasn't enough, was it Walter? You had to sneak in and cut my throat, to ensure I wouldn't come looking for revenge!"

That stunned me completely. Did she really just say that? Could Walter, the father of my best friends, really be a heartbreaking murderer worthy of a spirits vengeance? Despite what had happened earlier, he couldn't really be that cold blooded… could he? While my mind spun with these questions, Walter said, "I know what I did, Sarah, and I'm unbelievably sorry. But you can't kill me, not now. I have two sons and a daughter that need me, and that I need to make up with." "Oh, so I'm not the only one you've hurt." Sarah snapped. Walter looked down at his feet. "I'm not surprised." She spat at him. "You will never change. You'll always be the cold, cruel man you always were."

Moving fast, she suddenly shot forward like pale lightning and shoved the knife right through him. I gasped and covered my mouth as Walter sputtered, blood starting to flow from his mouth. "Sar-ah." Walter coughed, spraying blood from his lips. Sarah leaned down and whispered, "And your wife is next, jack ass." Walter coughed once more, then went limp, his eyes staring ahead glassily, all while I stood in the doorway with my hand over my mouth. She yanked the knife out, letting him fall to the floor with a thud. Then she slowly, slowly turned to face me, and my breath caught. She was stunningly beautiful… except for the harsh red slice across her neck.

She smirked at me… and vanished.

**(A/N TWIST. Reviews plz! **

**UNC-**

**Silence) **


	28. Chapter 28

**Maxs PoV**

I stood for several moments, dazed. Then I remembered what Sarah had said. 'And your wife is next, jack ass.' Oh, no, not Layla too. Fang can't lose both of his parents! I turned and ran upstairs, adrenaline pumping and heart thumping wildly. I ran to the open door of the master bedroom, but I got there too late. Sarah was already there, hovering horizontally above Layla as she slept. The hand holding the knife trembled. "This is all because of you." She said. "If it wasn't for you, Walter wouldn't have left me. He wouldn't have killed me!" She lowered the knife to Laylas throat. "This is your fault." "Wait!" Sarah stopped, then slowly went vertical and faced me.

"Layla hasn't done anything." I said, hoping to sound calming. "What are you talking about?" she snapped. "It's all because of her!" she pointed to the still sleeping Layla with the knife. "That may be true." I wasn't frozen now, not afraid. "But Walter is the only one at fault. He is the one who hurt you, not Layla." Sarah shook her head. "She has to die." She intoned gravely. "No. No one else has to die. You don't have to take a mother away from her children." Sarah seemed to pause, and glanced down at Layla. Then she looked back at me, her haunted eyes hard and cold. "Yes, I do." Before I could say anything more, the knife had cleaved through Laylas neck.

Sarah dissipated to mist as I clenched my eyes shut. Somehow, I still couldn't get used to the sight of blood. I stood there for a moment to compose myself, then slowly turned from the room and ran down the hall to Iggy's room. When I reached the door, I threw it open, making it hit the wall, and flipped on the light. I earned myself a chorus of groaning, which I ignored. "What the hell, Max?" Iggy moaned, slowly sitting up and shielding his eyes. I opened my mouth, then I hesitated. How exactly does one go about telling your best-friend-but-its-complicated and his brother that their dad killed some chick named Sarah to marry their mom, who just came back and slit both of their throats? Fang sat up from his place on the floor, squinting at me as I fidgeted nervously. "Max, you look like you've seen a ghost. What happened?"

He just hit the nail on the head. "Um… There's something… I think you guys need to see…" They glanced at each other, then slowly got to their feet. "Follow me." I said, turning on shaky legs to walk back to the master bedroom. I stopped about a foot from the door and turned to face them. "You might want to brace yourselves." "What? Why?" Iggy asked, starting to sound frightened. "Max, you're scaring me." I let my glance meet Fangs. He knew. I could see it in his eyes. With a sigh, I yanked my gaze away from his all-encompassing black orbs and nudged the door open. Then I just stood there with my head down, while Iggy and Fang stepped cautiously into the room. A moment later, I heard Iggy. "Mom!" I heard his footsteps as he ran to the bedside. I heard his anguished sobs. I knew how they sounded. I had made the same sounds when my mother was killed.

After a short internal battle, I gathered my courage and called, "That's not all." A second later, Iggy's tear stained face and Fangs impassive one appeared at my side again. "What are you talking about?" He choked. I didn't bear to meet Fangs eyes again and just started to lead them down the stairs. I led them to the kitchen, where Walter still lay. "Dad?" Iggy cried, dissolving into tears again as he slunk to his dad's side. Fang looked for a second, then just turned and faced away, his eyes shut tight. I was glad they were closed. I couldn't bear to see the pain in them. So as soon as he opened them, I looked down again. "You know how this happened." Fang said, his voice strained. "Don't you, Max?" My eyes flicked over to Iggy, who was now staring at me as the tears slid down his cheeks.

"Max." Fang whispered, drawing my eyes up to his face. His face, not his eyes. "Please." I took a deep breath, and let it out. They deserved to know. "I saw it." I whispered. "What? What did you see?" That was Iggy's desperate tone. I didn't answer for a minute, prompting Iggy to exclaim, "Max!" "Iggy, cool it." Fang muttered. Iggy begrudgingly shut his mouth. "There's some things about your dad you guys didn't know." I muttered. 'What do you mean?" Fangs asked, trying to catch my eye. I didn't give it to him. "Apparently, before he married your mom he was with another woman, one named Sarah. He left her for your mom. But, according to her, your dad also…" "Also what?" Iggy was getting really exasperated. "He killed her." I blurted out, then continued before they could question me. "I saw her ghost. She was here, ranting and raving at your dad about how he left her, how he murdered her.

"She killed him, then went upstairs to kill your mom too. I followed her and tried to talk Sarah out of it but she didn't listen. I'm so, so, so sorry." I dropped my gaze back to my feet. There was a second of stunned silence. Then, Iggy happened. He cried in pure animal rage and lunged, pinning me to the wall, his hand around my throat. "You're lying." He hissed, his eyes wild with rage and grief. "You did this. You hated them for what happened earlier, admit it!" "Iggy!" Fang grabbed his shoulders and swung him around, away from me. Iggy stumbled a few steps, but quickly righted himself and stood glaring at me. "Get ahold of yourself!" Fang snapped vehemently, then turned to look at me. "Max-" I shook my head. "I'm sorry Iggy." I said. "But I didn't do this."

With that, I sprinted up the stairs.

**(A/N Yay, another chapter out the window. Reviews please.**

**UNC-**

**Silence) **


	29. Chapter 29

**Maxs PoV**

I ran into Fangs room and closed the door. I stood there, my back against the door. I ran my hands over my face and bit my lip. Did Iggy really believe that I had done that? Did he really think that I had killed his parents? He's known me almost my entire life, how could he think something like that? All I knew is that I had to get Angel out of this house. Away from memories, away from whatever was plaguing us, and away from Fang and Iggy. I can't face them now, not when they see me as a cold blooded murderer. I quickly scooped Angel up from the bed without waking her, then grabbed a black hoodie from Fangs closet and wrapped her in it. I slipped my hoodie on and laced up my boots. I picked up Angel again and was about to leave when I saw something hanging on Fangs wall.

It was a shark tooth necklace, one I had bought for him on his eleventh birthday. I smiled sadly at the memory. Without thinking, I slipped it off its hook and looped it around my neck. I took a deep breath and wrapped my hand around the door knob. Before I could leave, Angel woke up. "Maxie? Where are we going?" she mumbled against my shoulder. "We're leaving, Ange." Was all I said. "But Max, Ariel and Alice don't want me to leave." My breath caught. Yet another reason to get out. "I'm sorry Angel." I didn't say anything else as I slipped downstairs. I could hear Iggy and Fang shouting at each other, and I thought, _This is all my fault_.

I shook my head, but before I could leave I heard Fang. "Max? What are you doing?" I winced and froze in my tracks. "Max?" I didn't say anything. "Are… are you gonna leave?" Fang walked over to me, trying to make me look at him. I wouldn't. When I still didn't answer, he closed the door with one hand and took Angel from me. He set her down on the floor and told her to go back upstairs. Once she was gone, he firmly grabbed my chin and made me look up at him. The amount of pain and sorrow and anger locked in his gaze made my heart break. "Max. Answer me." "I can't stay here." I managed to say. His jaw clenched with suppressed anger. "No Max. You can't run anymore! You can't keep acting like such a coward!" I gaped at him and jerked away, stumbling into the middle of the room.

"What?" "You heard me! You ran from me, you ran from Iggy, you run from all of your problems! But you aren't running again! You're going to have to stay and figure out how to make this work!" Oh, I was _mad_ now. "Are you kidding me? You just kissed me out of nowhere, supernatural beings are out for our blood, and Iggy thinks I'm a heartless killer!" "I don't really think that." Iggy said quietly, walking over to us. "Then why did you attack me?" I hissed. "I'm sorry. I was just angry and upset and confused. Please forgive me." My fists clenched, but I did nod to him. A look of relief crossed his face. Fang wasn't done though.

"Oh, and in case you haven't noticed Max, these things are out for _all_ of our blood! Eventually, you're going to have to deal with that, and you're going to have to deal with me too!" Enough. I had had _enough_ of him. "Just _shut up_!" I shrieked, and shoved him hard. He staggered a few steps. I shoved him again, and he almost fell. I was so, so angry. At that moment, I hated him with every fiber in my body, a hate so volatile and deep, a hate I had never expected to feel for my best friend. I went to shove him again, but this time he caught my wrists, a look flashing in his eyes that I had never seen before and couldn't identify. I expected him to shove me, throw me at a wall, hell I even expected him to punch me out. God knows I deserved it.

But then again, Fang is fairly good at doing the unexpected.

Instead of hitting me or hurting me in any way… he kissed me. It wasn't gentle like the last time. It was rough and demanding. Despite that, my eyes clenched shut and I kissed back, just as roughly. His hands came up to either side of my face while mine tangled into his hair, our heads moving this way and that. I felt my hate completely dissipate into something different: Different, but just as strong. I wrapped one arm around his neck and went up on my tip toes, pressing closer to him. He responded, pressing his hand flat against my back. It got faster, rougher. We would pull away every so often, just for a half second for a gasp of air before our mouths would meet again. As our tongues fought and our breath mingled, our fight seemed a million years ago.

Eventually, Iggy got tired of watching us make out and said, "Ok, ok, you two, that's enough. I swear, you guys just scarred me for life." As soon as he spoke, I jerked away sharply and stumbled a few steps back. We were both panting, our gazes locked. "Don't run." He said gruffly, his voice lower than usual. I shook my head once. "No more running." I said breathily, still breathing hard. "Never." Fang nodded, his eyes still stuck on mine. I was a bit stunned, not having been prepared for the power and emotion and… almost anger that was in this kiss. I was also stunned at my reaction. Don't mistake my meaning: I was stunned, yes. But I didn't regret it. I would never regret it.

"Guys! Stop staring at each other, ok, we need to talk!" Iggy again. With difficulty, I wrenched my eyes away from Fang and looked at Iggy. "We need to talk about… our parents. And what we're going to do." I nodded, as did Fang. He was right, they both were. We did need to talk. They needed time to grieve. And I needed to stop running.

**(A/N Like? Oh, and BTW I'm leaving for a 5 day stay in Phoniex. I'll try to bring my laptop with me, but if I can't don't get mad, k? And I'm getting a new laptop for my birthday! Yay! :P K, review, please.**

**UNC-**

**Silence) **


	30. Chapter 30

**Maxs PoV**

"Max!" I whirled around, just as a black blur slammed into my legs. I knelt down and held Angel close, feeling her trembling. I stood up with her still in my arms and stroked her hair, shushing her. "What's wrong Ange?" I murmured to her. "Ariel scared me." Oh, great. "What did she say?" I kept my voice quiet, trying to calm her. "She said if we tried to leave, she would hurt us." Everyone stopped. I met Fangs eyes over Angels head. "We aren't leaving, are we Max? I don't want to get hurt." "No Ange, we're not leaving." I heard her little sigh of relief, and the trembling decreased a bit. I turned to look at Fang and Iggy. "You guys take some time." I said. "I'll be upstairs calming Angel down."

With that, I turned and marched upstairs.

**Fangs PoV**

Iggy seemed a little confused by what Max meant, but I knew. She meant time to grieve, something she herself hadn't been given enough of. As soon as Max was up the stairs, Iggy turned to me and held up his hand for a high five. I rolled my eyes, but returned it anyway. "Dude, what are we going to tell Nudge?" Iggy asked. I nearly facepalmed. I had completely forgotten that eventually we would have to tell Nudge that our parents had been murdered by an angry spirit. Fun. "I have no clue." I muttered. "Especially because she probably won't believe the truth." Iggy nodded.

I'm so tired. Really, all I wanted to do was fall down and sleep. How much can one guy put up with in a day? "You know I didn't really mean what I said about Max, right?" "I know Igs, and so does she." I reassured him, rubbing my forehead. He let out a sigh of relief. "Maybe we should get some sleep, and try this again in the morning." He suggested, being pretty exhausted himself. "That's the best thing you've said all day." I replied before we both passed out on the couches for the 2nd night in a row.

**Maxs PoV**

I set Angel on the bed and sat beside her. She refused to let go of my neck, even though I told her a thousand times that she was safe. So I just leaned against the headboard with her in my lap and stroked her hair, something that usually got her to sleep in minutes. But now she stayed wide awake, adamant that she would protect me from her imaginary friends. After a while, I started getting hot, so I got up and opened the window before returning to my previous position. Then, a few minutes later, it slammed shut with a huge bang that made me jump. Wait, what? The window just shut… _by itself_.

I refused to be unnerved by this and opened it again. The same thing happened, except quicker. I opened it again, but as soon as my hand left it slammed shut again, so hard I thought the glass would break. Almost simultaneously, there was a burning pain on my leg. I rolled up my pant leg to see, and Angel let out a whimper when she saw. Going all the way from my knee to my ankle, was a long red scratch. It almost broke skin, but not quite.

I guess Ariel wasn't kidding.

**Third Person PoV**

The Queen allowed herself an evil, self-satisfied grin. Her plan was working perfectly. She was delighted at how easy it was to turn the three against each other, never mind how quickly they banded together again. That wasn't important. What was important was that _she was winning again_. That's all that would ever matter, was her victory. She had also noted several other interesting things about the targets. The light boy was very emotional. The dark one wasn't, unless that emotion was anger, which he used as a shield against his other feelings, such as pain or love or anxiety. The girl was extremely protective, which could be used against her.

And the only snag in her entire grand master plan? The girl and the dark boys relationship. She had expected it to have died out, or been killed by the girls sharp rejections. But it seemed to be progressing instead, which unnerved her. She refused to say that it scared her, no, nothing ever scared _her_. It was simply very ridiculous that two so young could share a bond so strong, even when tested by strife and anguish. _Why can they have love when I can't?_ The thought barely had time to flit across the Queens consciousness before she had dismissed it. She didn't need or want love. What she needed was power, and what she wanted was to figure out and then exterminate these vile children. Because, after all, they were but a side project in her grander scheme. An interesting side project, but a side project nonetheless. Almost like a hobby. Almost more entertaining than watching people flayed alive. _Almost_.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. What of the little brown girl? She could make a most interesting piece in this game if introduced to it. Her mind whirring, the queen summoned the image of the young girl, sleeping peacefully in her bed, unaware of the horrors she would have to confront eventually._ Yes, that would be quite lovely_. She thought as she imagined how to kill the girl. But where would she fit in? Should she die before or after the little blonde cherub, and should one of the targets die before? Then the perfect plan popped into her mind, bringing an evil smirk to her face. She would wait, a few weeks at least, until the perfect time.

Then, and only then, would she strike. It would be perfect, magnificent. It would bring her the utmost joy. It would guarantee her victory over these pests, and leave her with plenty of time and power and resources left over to execute her _real_ plan.

Unfortunately for her, the three teenagers she planned to exterminate are fairly good at doing the unexpected.

**(A/N IM BAAAAAAAACK! And I gave this story a cover image, the one that shows the bloody glass girl, so don't be alarmed. :P Anyhow, if anyone has any ideas for me, send em in and don't forget to review!**

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	31. Chapter 31

**Nudges PoV**

I woke up crazily early that morning. For a minute I just laid in bed, wondering why I woke up so early. Then I heard the voices from downstairs, Maxs and Iggys. I groaned and rolled over, burying my face in the pillows. Why, why? Mentally, I urged them to shut up. When they didn't, I dragged myself out of bed with another groan. As I trudged out into the hallway, I heard Fangs voice pitch in for a mere moment before fading out again. I hung tiredly over the banister and yelled, "Why are you all up so early?" The voices stopped for a second, then I hear Maxs voice call, "Nudge can you come downstairs for a second?"

I groaned loudly. "Can I just go back to bed?" "No, we need to talk to you now." I groaned yet again, but I slumped down the stairs anyway. I flopped onto the couch and shut my eyes, mumbling, "What's so dang important that you woke me up at 6 a.m.?" I felt the couch dip as Max sat down next to me. "Nudge? I need you to pay attention for a second." "I don't wanna." "Nudge." "Fine." I grabbed the arm of the couch and sat up straight, prying my eyes open as I did so. One look at their faces and I went fully alert. Never in my whole life had I seen anyone's faces as grim as these three were. "What's wrong?" I asked, feeling fear start to creep in. This time Iggy spoke.

"This is gonna sound a little crazy, but we really are telling the truth." "What are you talking about?" Iggy and Fang exchanged glances. "Guys what's going on? You're scaring me!" I was feeling a bit frantic at that point. "Nudge, you need to calm down-" Fang tried. I cut him off. "I'm not gonna calm down Fang. Just tell me what's going on." "Well, like I said this is gonna sound a little crazy," Iggy started. "But things are getting a little… strange." "Oh for God's sake Iggy." Fang snapped. Then he leaned forward and looked me dead in the eye. "Here's the deal. Something's after us, me Iggy and Max. We don't know what it is, and we don't know why. All we know is that whatever it is has sent things, and those things have killed."

My heart stopped. "What do you mean.." I gulped. "Killed?" "One of them stabbed Lissa." His eyes didn't once flicker as he spoke. "Another one killed Maxs mom, and Ari." My eyes widened. "Another killed Gazzy." Tears welled up. "And another one… killed our parents." "Wait, what?!" I shrieked. Fang flinched a little, but his eyes still didn't move. "What are you _talking_ about? What's after you? How did they die? Why are they killing them?" Before I let them answer, I leapt to my feet. "No, no you have to be lying to me. You guys are playing a trick on me. No one's dead. No one's dead!" I saw Iggy mutter something at Fang, who scowled at him, but I was too freaked out to care. I started pacing back and forth, frantically muttering, "It's not true, it's not true."

"Nudge." Max said. I ignored her and continued my pacing. "Nudge! Stop!" she yelled and caught my shoulders, making me look at her. She looked at me beseechingly. "This isn't a joke." She said quietly. "We don't know what's after us or why. But it is the truth. We would have kept it from you, but it killed most of my family and your parents. We're only trying to protect you." I was crying now. I couldn't believe it, but I didn't really have any other choice. "How?" I choked out. "How did they die?" She gave me a sad, sad look. "Whomever is doing this summoned a spirit who killed them." "A spirit? Max-" "It's true."

"Where are they?" I asked tearfully. If what they said was true, I had to say goodbye. Max took one of my hands and murmured, "Follow me.", then lead me into the kitchen. On the floor… was my dad. I froze, gaping at his frozen eyes and his slashed throat. Slowly, I walked over to his body and knelt beside him. Now I was sobbing, hard. If this was true… the rest must be too. So my mom, my dad, Maxs mom and her brothers, were all dead. Because of something that could do things like raise spirits to do their dirty work for them. I stopped crying suddenly as something caught my attention. It was Dads body. It was… turning to ashes. I watched it as it slowly dissolved. When it was completely burned up, I murmured, "Goodbye, Mom and Dad. I'll miss you."

I wiped my cheeks and stood up. When I turned back around, Fang and Iggy had also gathered in the room. Iggy was looking at the body with several tears running down his face. But Fang looked… dead. Removed. Distant. I would mention it to Max later and have her talk to him about it. "Ok." I said calmly. "I believe you now." "You seem rather.. calm." Max commented. "No, trust me, I'm not." On the inside, I was screaming and sobbing and begging for them to come back. But I could do that later, when I was alone. I had to grieve, but I would do it on my own terms. "But I'll deal with it later. Right now, I just want to know… what are we going to do about this?"

**(A/N Ok, I know this one sucks. I tried this chapter in 4 different PoVs, and it still sucks. But hopefully the next one won't be as bad. Anyhow, I started a new story called A Home at Last. Make sure you check it out. But never fear, this story will continue! **

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	32. Chapter 32

**Maxs PoV**

Well, that went better than expected. In answer to Nudges question, I said, "I don't think we'll be doing much about it at the moment." Everyone turned to look at me. "What?" Iggy asked in a strained voice. I figured it would be better to show them rather than tell them, so I told Fang to try and open the door. It opened fine, but just before it opened fully, it yanked itself from Fangs hand and slammed shut, the lock clicking ominously. Nudge gasped and staggered back into the wall, and Iggy stared at the door with wide eyes. "Wha-" Nudge breathed. "Remember what Angels little friend said?" I asked, seeing realization light in Iggys eyes.

Fangs, however, stayed flat. He didn't react, he just reached for the lock. Before his fingers touched it, there was a sharp _crack_ and I saw a small blue finger of electricity arch from the metal to Fangs hand. He pulled it back quickly, saying calmly, "It shocked me." "Yeah, I think we got that." Iggy said. He always has the nerve to tell a joke. "What little friend?" Nudge asked. Oh yeah, we hadn't told her about that yet. "Angel has these… I guess you could say imaginary friends. And one of them apparently doesn't want us to leave." Iggy explained. Nudge didn't look quite convinced. "You don't believe us, Nudge?" I said. Slowly, almost seeming embarrassed, she shook her head.

"Look what happened when I tried to open the window." I said, rolling up my pant leg to reveal the red scratch. Nudge gasped again, her hand over her mouth. Iggy whistled quietly, and Fang knelt down to inspect it. "It's alright Fang, it's just a scratch." He narrowed his eyes at me, trying to decipher whether I was bluffing or if I was being genuine. Eventually, he nodded and straightened up again. I let my pant leg fall back into place as Nudge asked, "So… does this mean we can't leave the house?" "Seems that way." I answered. "Why do you think they want us here?" Iggy asked.

"Whoever it is probably wants to keep us holed up so it's easier to take us out all at once." Fang said emotionlessly. Nudge paled a little bit, but managed to keep her composure. "As much as I hate to say it, Fangs probably right." Iggy said reluctantly. "But how long do you think they'll keep us here?" "The better question," I responded, "Is how long can we stay here? We should figure that out, then decide what we'll do in the event that they keep us here that long." "Good idea." Iggy told me. "I'll go see how much food we have." Fang said, turning to go into the kitchen. As soon as he was gone, Nudge grabbed my arm and said beseechingly, "Max, you have to talk to Fang. He's not ok, and you know it."

"I know Nudge. Honestly, I don't think any of us are truly ok, but I'll talk to him." She smiled gratefully at me, and without thinking I hugged her tightly. "We'll be fine." I promised. "Thanks Max." I smiled at her and pulled away, just as Fang came back in. "We have enough food for about 3 weeks if we're careful." He muttered, hands in his pockets. "Ok. And we still have running water and all that. So… I guess now we wait."

Time Skip

Within an hour we had all scattered to various rooms in the house. Nudge was holed up in her room, Fang in his, and Iggy was watching TV with Angel. This would be the perfect time to talk to Fang. As I walked past Nudges room, I heard muffled sobbing coming from inside. I wanted to go inside and comfort her, but she had expressed her desire to grieve privately, and I would respect that. I reached Fangs door and knocked lightly before edging the door open. Fang was lying on his back on his bed, his arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. He didn't move when I came in, nor when I sat down on the bed beside him. He didn't look at me until I said his name, and when he did his eyes were dead.

"You aren't alright." I stated, with no room for argument. He sighed a little and look back up at the ceiling. "Fang, look at me." I knew he couldn't hide his emotions forever. "It's ok to feel pain, you know." His shut his eyes. "Come on, Fang." I stretched out on the bed on my stomach, propping myself up with my elbows. "Talk to me." "I-" he started to say, but he stopped. "What?" I prodded gently. "I just don't get it." He opened his eyes again, and this time they had emotion. Pain, sadness, confusion. Fang isn't the emotionless wall a lot of people think he is. "If they're only after us, why do our families keep dying?" I sighed and moved onto my back. "I don't know. There's a lot of things about this I don't know."

He closed his eyes yet again. "I keep getting the feeling that my parents aren't the last people who will die. And I don't know why any of this is happening. I can't stand not knowing why. What did we do to start this? Read a stupid book? What the hell is so important about it? It isn't worth 5 people dead." "And what do you think of…your dad?" His breath caught, and for a second I was worried I had made him shut down again. But then he answered. "I was so angry with him when he… died. And then having to hear that he killed some woman?" He shook his head. "Do you feel guilty?" "A little." I hesitated a second, then wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

To my relief, he didn't pull away. He slipped his arms around my waist and buried his face in the crook of my neck. I lay still and stroke his hair gently. He didn't cry, unless you count one of two stray tears, but he didn't have to.

**(A/N There you are fanfiction, another chapter for your pleasure. Enjoy and review.**

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	33. Chapter 33

**Maxs PoV**

_There was a man who lived in Leeds_

A voice echoed eerily, making me jump awake. But when my eyes opened, I wasn't in Fangs room. I was standing in the middle of a suburban street, staring at a small house painted blue. On the white porch stood a grizzled old man, slightly bent over a cane.

_He filled his garden full of seeds_

The image blurred a bit, then flashed to a new one. Now I was in the backyard, watching him slowly plant something from a basket into the soft dirt. The sun beat down hotly, making sweat bead on my skin. This was obviously a dream, but what did it mean?

_And when the seeds began to grow, it was like a garden full of snow._

The old man vanished, and the sky darkened. Snow suddenly appeared on the ground, up to my knees. More snow fell from the roiling sky, making me shiver and wrap my arms around myself. The voice reciting the unknown rhyme was becoming more distinctive, seemingly female. It was smooth, almost seductive… but at the same time it ran like poison. From inside the cheerily lit house, a deep throated scream echoed out. The backdoor slowly creaked open, and a roundish object rolled out across the snow. It left streaks of red as it rolled to stop at my feet. It was the old mans severed head.

_And when the snow began to melt, it was like a ship without a belt._

I felt the rock and roll of a ship's hull beneath my feet. The sea was calm, the sun shining. Then clouds covered the sky, lighting flashed, and the seas rolled violently. I heard the shouts and screams of sailors, and one was thrown from the rigging into the ocean. I heard the call of, "We're sinking! Abandon ship!" In a flash, the deck was at seas level and waves were crashing over the sides as the ship sank into the abyss.

_And when the ship began to sail, it was like a bird without a tail._

I was surrounded by trees, standing in the forest behind some hunters. They were laughing and pointing into the sky at something that was plummeting down towards them. When it hit the ground, I saw that it was a bird. It was huge, maybe a 9 foot wingspan. Where its tail should've have been was a bloody stump. They had probably shot it off. As I watched, their laughs turned to screams as the bird took horrifying revenge.

_And when the bird began to fly, it was like an eagle in the sky._

The ripped and ravaged hunters fell to the ground cowering as the bird grew and grew in proportion. It leapt into the sky, clearing the trees before continuing to grow until it filled the whole sky as far as I could see. It cried, and I clapped my hands over my ears. Its voice was louder than thunder and made the treetops tremble.

_And when the sky began to roar, it was like a lion at my door. _

I was back in Fangs room, except I was alone. The light coming through the window was gray. A roar echoed through the previously eerily silent house, making me jump. I heard the pit pat of paws along the hallway, and opened the door a crack to peek out. Just coming around the corner, was a lion, tail, mane, and all. It caught sight of me, and let out another roar. I slammed the door shut and braced myself against it, hearing the lion race down the hall. I felt it slam into the door, nearly throwing me across the room.

_And when the door began to crack, it was like a penknife in my back. _

I let out a scream as I felt a sharp pain pierce in between my shoulder blades. I fell to my knees, feeling more and more pain flow through my body.

_And when my back began to bleed, I was dead, dead, dead indeed!_

I awoke with a scream.

(A/N Fun, right? BTW, I didn't write that rhyme, its in the book Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. And sorry its short, its just the dream. Longer chapter later.

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	34. Chapter 34

**Maxs PoV**

I sat bolt upright, panting. Fang sat up beside me, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "What happened?" he asked with a yawn. "Nothing." I gulped. "Just a nightmare." He frowned a little, but decided to let it go and lay back down, pulling me with him. He held me close to him, as though my very presence was comforting. "Max." I angled my head back to look up at him. "I'm sorry." I blinked in surprise. "For what?" I asked, propping myself up on my elbows. "For being such a jerk yesterday. I didn't mean to call you a coward or-" "No, it's ok." I interrupted. "What you said was true. I was a coward. But I won't be anymore. I'm gonna do what you said: I'm learning to stay and make it work."

He gave me a surprised look. "I expected you to be angry." I smiled and shook my head. "Not this time. And aren't you angry about me pushing you? Or being such a whiny brat?" Fang chuckled. "You weren't that bad." I laughed along with him. It felt good to laugh. Then came a tiny little knock on the door, and Angel trotted inside. "Hi Max!" she called cheerfully, climbing onto the bed to sit in my lap. "What's up Ange?" I asked, ruffling her hair. "I made up with Ariel, and she taught me a new rhyme!" I exchanged a glance with Fang, feeling my stomach drop. Apparently play time was over.

"Can I hear it?" I asked. "Sure!" Angel proclaimed, then proudly began reciting.

_There was a man who lived in Leeds_

_He filled his garden full of seeds_

_And when the seeds began to grow_

_It was like a garden filled with snow_

_And when the snow began to melt _

_It was like a ship without a belt_

_And when the ship began to sail_

_It was like a bird without a tail_

_And when the bird began to fly_

_It was like an eagle in the sky_

_And when the sky began to roar_

_It was like a lion at my door_

Here she stopped and lowered her voice to a whisper.

_And when the door began to crack_

_It was like a penknife in my back _

_And when my back began to bleed_

_I was dead, dead, dead indeed!_

She started laughing, sounding like little chiming bells, while I felt my face go pale. I felt Fangs gaze on my face, but I focused fully on Angel. "You said Ariel taught you this?" I said. She nodded, her blonde ringlets bouncing. "Did she happen to say who taught her?" I could feel Fangs gaze sharpen, as though he knew what I was getting at. "Ariel said someone she worked for told her about it. Some sort of a Queen, I think. Can I go help Iggy with dinner now?" "Uh, yeah." I said, and she hopped off my lap and ran out of the room. "Max, what was that about?"

I quickly explained to him about my nightmare. "So, this Queen must be the person who's behind all of this." Fang speculated. When I nodded in agreement, Fangs eyes hardened as though he was thinking of all the people who had died. "To me, it sounds like she's foreshadowing something. To rile us up, make us nervous and jittery." I said, thinking out loud. "But why is she spending so much effort on this? I mean, the warning, the killings, locking us in. What's the point? As far as we know, there isn't anything special about us." Fang said. "I don't know." I admitted. "The important thing is we know who's doing this now." "Not really. We are _guessing_ that this _might_ be being caused by _someone_ we _think_ is _some sort_ of a 'queen', according to Angels _imaginary_ friend." "Considering she's locked us in your house I don't think she's very_ imaginary_ anymore." I retorted. "And it's better than nothing, isn't it?"

He paused, then said, "Fair enough." I scoffed and rolled my eyes, but couldn't help smiling at him.

**Third Person PoV**

The Queen laughed in delight. Well, it was actually more of a cackle. She bent over to peer into the orb that held the image of the two teenagers talking, and in the one beside it the little blonde angel playing Ring Around A Rosie with one of the Queens tools, Ariel. She was loyal and smart, but didn't ask too many questions and always did as she was told. Her partner Alice, however, was a bit of a loose cannon. See, contrary to the fairy tale, Alice had been trapped in Wonderland in her mind for many years while her body was trapped in a mental asylum. Eventually, the Queen had sent someone to kill her body.

When the body was killed, Alice's Wonderland was shattered, letting her maddened spirit roam free. The Queen had captured it, seeing it as useful. But after so many years in Wonderland, her spirit was rather twisted and actually quite insane, making her hard to deal with. No matter. Ariel could corral her. As the thought of Alice entered the Queens mind, another idea started forming. She straightened up and began pacing to and fro, letting the idea expand. Yes, yes this would be much better than he original plan. It would be easier to control everyone this way.

True, this new course of action would require a great deal more power than the original, but so what? Power was something she had plenty of. And the best part? She would get to continue her game with the teenagers. It was immensely entertaining and interesting to watch them try and figure it all out, and she delighted in sending them clues and warnings to see how they reacted. Indeed, if this new plan succeeded (which it obviously would) she might even make the three important figures in her chain of command.

Yes, yes that would be just absolutely perfect.

**(A/N OK, I have a new goal. To make each chapter just a little actiony so that the story doesn't get boring. K?**

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	35. Chapter 35

(A/N PEOPLE! I know, authors notes are a no-no, but i need help. Currently i am attempting to write the first Maximum Ride novel from Fangs point of view (because Fang is the best character of all time) but im having trouble. Since the first book starts with Maxs dream, I'm struggling with starting it from Fangs PoV since he doesnt show up for another 2 or 3 pages. HELP ME PLEAAAAASSSEEEE. Thanks.

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	36. Chapter 36

**Maxs PoV**

That night, we ate Iggy's dinner in silence. Nudges eyes were red and puffy, her face pale and her voice gravelly. Iggy was solemn, which is very unusual. The only person who really spoke was Angel, who was sitting in the living room chattering with Ariel. She was starting to scare me. Under the table, Fang had linked his ankle around mine. He was still tense, but his eyes weren't quite as dead as they had been. Nudge only finished half her plate before she pushed it away and went back upstairs to her room. After that, Iggy left too, leaving only me and Fang at the table.

Since no one else was going to do it, I started picking up the half-finished plates and brought them into the kitchen. I got out some tubberware and put the excess food away. I was just putting the dishes into the dishwasher when I felt hands on my waist. I turned around to see Fangs face mere centimeters from mine. "Hey." He breathed. I rested my hands on his shoulders. "Hey." "Are we going to tell Iggy and Nudge about what Angel said?" he asked in a whisper. I frowned and bit my lip. "I don't want to freak them out." I murmured. "Not until we're sure."

He nodded in agreement. Then he just stood there with his hands on my hips, just looking at me. "Is there something you wanted?" I asked. He smirked at me and said, "Yes, actually." Before I could ask what, he had leaned down and pressed his lips against my neck. I sighed and tangled my fingers into the soft hair at the base of his neck. My skin was tingling. It seemed rushed, but also too slow all at once. He picked me up and sat me on the counter. He was normally four inches taller than me, so this put my lips only a half inch above his. I took advantage of it and for once I kissed him first. Our heads angled to either side as his hands slid up my sides.

I pulled back for a breath, and he started kissing my collar bone. My fingers ran through his hair, and his teeth lightly grazed my skin, making me inhale quickly. I wrapped my legs around his middle and linked my ankles, pulling him closer. He kissed up my neck and over my jaw until he reached my lips again, moving gently. I know that my mom would have warned me about this. 'It could just be lust.' She would say. 'you have to be careful.' Sadly, she had never gotten the chance to. Then I was blinking back tears, and Fang pulled back to look at me. "Hey, you ok?" He asked, looking at me softly. I nodded and smiled shakily.

"I was just thinking about my mom." He rested his forehead against mine. "Talk to me." He whispered. "I was just wondering what she would've said about this. About us, ya know?" "And what do you think she would've said?" "I think she would have been happy." I bit back some more tears and forced myself to continue. "But she also would have told me to be careful. She wouldn't want me to get hurt." "I would never hurt you." Fang muttered, planting another kiss on my temple. "I know. But her love life wasn't exactly spectacular." Ari and I were both conceived out of wedlock, to dead beat dads that ditched her as soon as they found out. Gazzy and Angel were both born to the same man who my mom had married, but he skipped out. Technically, they were all my half siblings.

Fang knew all of this. "I promise you," he said, cupping my face in his hands, "I will never hurt you the way those guys hurt your mother. Never. And there are two reasons why." I raised my eyebrows. "The first is I couldn't bear to see you hurt. And the second is hurting you would hurt me just as bad." I couldn't help smiling just a bit, and I looked down. Fang caught my chin and tilted my head back up, and kissed me again. This was comforting. He was trying to ease my pain the way I had eased his. And it was working. I could feel my grief lessen ever so slightly as I pulled him closer. But after a few seconds, he pulled back again.

"I miss them." He whispered. "I know." I responded, running my hand over his face. He gave me a pained look. "I just want to forget." He muttered. Well, I can try. I weaved my fingers into his hair and pulled him close, kissing him gently but also urgently. He held the back of my neck with one hand and the other one rested on my stomach. His thumb moved in soothing circles, making my shirt ride up slowly until he was touching bare skin. I shivered, and I felt him smirk. Now it's my turn. I lowered my head and kissed his pulse point, feeling him shudder. I chuckled.

"Such a tease, Max." he scolded, running a hand down my leg. "Like you aren't." I returned, slightly breathlessly. He just laughed softly at me and pushed my t-shirt off my shoulder so he could kiss the skin there. I tugged at his hair until he bought his lips back to mine. Our mouths molded to each other instantly. I felt Fangs tongue touch my lips tentatively, asking for permission. Before I could give it to him, and I was, Iggy's voice broke through from the living room. "Uh, Max? Fang? You might wanna see this."

**(A/N Ok, this chapter was mostly Fax fluff with a tiny bit of plot at the end. And the sad part is that it took me like 3 hours to write this cause I kept getting distracted. Reviews.**

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	37. Chapter 37

**Maxs PoV**

Fang and I exchanged a worried glance, then he swung me off the counter. It wasn't really necessary, but I wasn't going to argue with him. "Iggy, what's-" I cut myself off as we stepped into the living room. Angel was sitting in front of the TV, happily chattering. Except this time, we could see who she was talking to. Sitting next to her on the floor was a teenage girl. Her back was to us, so all we could see was her long deep red hair. She wasn't speaking to Angel, just nodding her head, but my little sister seemed to be responding to questions the girl was asking that we couldn't hear.

I glanced at Fang, then back at the girl. As though she could feel us all staring at her, she slowly turned to smile at us. It sent chills down my spine. Her eyes were bright green, unnaturally bright green. She got to her feet, wearing a funny expression. She wore a loose cotton dress, tank top sleeves, purple on the top and green on the bottom. She was barefoot. She had a starfish clip in her hair. Angel looked up at her, then looked back at us with a grin. "Hey guys, you finally get to meet Ariel!" she said, bouncing to her feet. None of us said anything, we just watched her.

Slowly, Ariel reached down and took Angels hand, and Angel beamed up at her. "Ariel, this is Max, Fang, and Iggy." Angel introduced. Ariel focused her freaky eyes on us one by one, taking in our features. "Ange." I said slowly. "Can you come over here please?" Angel glared at me, making my blood run cold. "No!" she snapped. "I don't want to!" "Angel, please." I didn't like how she clung to Ariel or how she was looking at me. She had something burning in her eyes, something I've never seen before from her. "No!" she shouted yet again. "I like Ariel better than you! It's your fault Mommy and Ari and Gazzy are dead! I _hate_ you!"

My eyes widened, and I bit back a pained gasp. Her words sliced like knives, right to my heart. I closed my eyes and fought out, "You don't mean that Angel." I opened my eyes just to see hatred burning in her bright blue orbs. "I do. I hate you, Maxie." I looked at Ariel. She wore a smug expression, and I knew this was all her doing. I felt fury course through me, and opened my mouth. Before I could make a single sound, Ariels hand made a weird gesture. Before I knew what was happening, I was flung against the opposite wall with enough force to make me see double. I hit the ground hard. I groaned and rolled onto my back, blinking a few times. The first thing I noticed was the hall in the wall where I hit it. The second thing I noticed was Fang leaning over me, looking worried.

The third thing I noticed was Angel saying, "Ariel! I didn't want you to hurt them!" "I'm ok." I mouthed to Fang, starting to sit up. Fang took my arm and helped me stand upright. Ariel ignored my sister and gestured again, this time making Fang slam up onto the ceiling, then crash back down onto the coffee table. It splintered and broke, the glass top shattering. Angel cried out again while I ran forward to Fang. "You ok?" I whispered to him. He nodded, but his jaw was clenched. When he sat up, something dark and red was staining the back of his shirt.

"Fang, you're bleeding." "I'm fine." I knew he was lying, but hopefully it could wait until after this whole thing played out. I glanced back at Ariel as she was raising her hand again. But Angel, my baby sister, grabbed her arm before she could send any of us flying into more furniture. "Stop it! Stop hurting them!" she shouted in her little girl voice. "Angel!" Ariel shoved her against a wall just as I was getting to my feet, then whirled around and held her out towards me, palm out. I flew back five feet and felt my back smack against the wall. This time, however, she held me there.

Her face was twisted in anger, much like the girl's with the broken glass. "Ariel!" Angel shrieked, sounding close to tears. Ariel stopped, then slowly turned to face Angel. She let her hand drop, and I was placed back on my feet. I stumbled, but stayed upright. Then to my horror, Ariel slowly reach out and _hugged_ Angel. Angel was crying into her neck, saying, "Why did you hurt them Ariel? Why?" I didn't hear Ariel answer, but Angel sniffled and said, "Ok. I forgive you." Tears were starting in my eyes, but I forced them back. Fang appeared at my side and gently rubbed my arm. Ariel picked up Angel and started to move towards the door.

Just like that, I was full of adrenaline. I leapt towards the two. They couldn't take my only family from me. Ariel stepped to the side to avoid me, but that gave me to opportunity to grab a poker from the fire place. I lunged again, nearly clipping Ariel in the head. She shot me an angry look, and she teleported right to the door, like the girl with the glass had. The door swung open, just as I was running forward, planning on impaling the bitch. Angel was staring at me over Ariel's shoulder with wide eyes. Ariel stepped through the door, and Angel gave me a little wave and said cheerfully, "Bye Maxie."

Just as I reached them, the door slammed shut in my face. "Angel!" I screamed. I yanked on the doorknob, but all I got was an electric shock that made my hair stand on end. I ignored the pain and swung the poker against the door over and over with all my strength. It didn't even scratch the paint. "Bring my sister back you son of a bitch!" I hit the door harder, grinding out with each hit, "Bring. My. Sister. Back!" I swung again, but to my surprise, Fang caught it before it hit the door. He winced a little from whatever happened to his back, but he wouldn't release the poker.

"Max, stop." He said quietly. "it's no use." I tried to yank the poker away, but he maintained his grip. I looked back at the door, then shook my head and let the poker bang to the floor. "I'm sorry Angel." I whispered, then looked at Fang. "Come on, let's go get you cleaned up." I said. "I'm fi-" "Don't say it." I warned sternly, then grabbed his arm to pull him up the stairs. "We'll be down in a minute to help with clean up." I told Iggy, who still looked stunned. He nodded numbly.

Fang was right, it's no use. My family is gone.

**(A/N Yay, an actiony chapter! Enjoy and review! **

**UNC-**

**Silence) **


	38. Chapter 38

**Fangs PoV**

"Really, Max, I'm fine." I am such a freaking liar. In reality, whatever it was hurt like hell. Good thing Max could see right through me. She gave me a narrowed eyed glare. "Shut up." She snapped, pushing me down to sit on the bed. She grabbed the first aid kit from my desk and plopped it and herself down on the bed behind me. I started to take my shirt off, but didn't get very far before I stopped with a hiss. Ouch. "I'll cut it off." Max said shortly. I felt the cold brush of the scissors against my back as Max cut my shirt off.

"Ooh, that looks bad." I heard her breathe. "What's the damage?" "You've got a bunch of glass stuck in your back." "Great." I muttered. No wonder it hurt so bad. "Can you get it out?" "Yeah, but it'll be really painful." I was about to shrug, but I thought better of it and responded, "Whatever. Just do it." "Ok. On 3. 1-" she yanked a piece out, and I grunted a little at the sudden pain. "Sorry." She murmured. "Its o-" There goes another piece. I cried out a little, then tried to stifle it. "God, Max." I muttered. "I'm sorry, Fang, but-" She yanked out another shard.

By the time she had reached the seventh piece, my jaw was clenched so tight I thought it would break. "You have no mercy, do you?" I asked, panting. Her answer was to pull another one out. "How many more pieces are there?" "Just two. And they're small." The last two didn't hurt nearly so bad as the bigger pieces had. "Ok, this is gonna hurt a little." Max warned, just as she started cleaning the cuts out with peroxide. I clenched my fists, but managed not to make a sound. I felt her start wrapping bandages around my torso. "How much blood is there?" I asked quietly. "On a scale of paper cut to my house? A 4." I smiled slightly at her example.

When she finished with the bandaging, she started to pull away, but I twisted around and caught her arm. "Now it's your turn." I said softly. She gave me a questioning look, so I took her other arm. The one that had been clawed by Ari. I started slowly unwrapping the bandages, seeing them start to turn red. When I finally pulled off the last layer, I inspected the claw wounds. It was healing, it wasn't getting infected, but it would scar. I nodded to myself and started wrapping it in clean bandages. "How long will I need bandages?" Max asked. "I'm not sure." I admitted. "What about me?" She shrugged a little. I fastened the end of the wrap and smoothed it with my thumb.

"We'll be ok." I promised. "All of us." "Except for Angel." I looked up into her eyes, seeing them glossy with unshed tears. "I can't tell you what will happen to Angel." I told her truthfully. She lowered her head, and I pulled her into my arms, tucking her head under my chin. "I can't tell you what will happen to any of us."

**Third Person PoV**

Angel looked around her, feeling confused and scared. Ariel was gone, and she was in a weird place that didn't have any sky or trees or flowers or buildings. It didn't have anything. There was a scary lady with black eyes staring at her. She wanted to go home. She wanted her mom. She wanted Max. "Hello dear." The scary lady said, approaching her with a smile on her face. "What's your name?" "A-angel." The little girl stuttered. "Angel." The woman repeated, her smile getting a little tight. "Do you know who I am?" Angel slowly shook her head. "Maybe you'll remember this."

She started reciting something in her sickly sweet voice. It sounded as though she was trying to sound nice, but her true nature couldn't be entirely hidden. "There was a man who lived in Leeds." She started, but Angel interrupted her. "You're the one who taught that to Ariel!" she cried. "I am, my dear." She said back. "Would you like to learn another?" Angel nodded happily, her fright melting away. "Here's one I think you'll enjoy.

_Don't you ever laugh as the hearse goes by_

_For you may be the next to die_

Angel's smile faded as a chill crept down her spine. The woman was staring right into her eyes.

_They wrap you up in a big white sheet from your head down to your feet_

_They put you in a big black box and cover you up with dirt and rocks._

Angel wrapped her arms around herself, starting to shake.

_All goes well for about a week but then your coffin begins to leak_

_The worms crawl in the worms crawl out the worms play pinochle on your snout_

The woman smiled wide and tapped her nose, making Angels lip start to tremble. This wasn't fun anymore. She wanted her to stop.

_A big green worm with rolling eyes crawls in your stomach and out your eyes_

"Stop." Angel whispered. The woman grinned widely and continued.

_Your stomach turns a slimy green_

"Stop!" Angel cried louder, feeling tears start up. She was so scared.

_And pus pours out like whipping cream_

Angel started crying from terror.

_You spread it on a slice of bread_

The woman got closer, but her face right in front of Angels. Her voice stopped being sing songy and went dreadfully harsh, like a million nails screeching down a million chalkboards.

_And that's what you eat when you are _**dead**

Angel screamed.

The Queen laughed.

(A/N Kinda fluffy, I suppose. Eh. At least you know where Angel went, right?

UNC-

Silence)


	39. Chapter 39

**Maxs PoV**

When we got back downstairs, Iggy hadn't started with the cleanup. Because he was holding a sobbing Nudge. "Nudge?" When she heard my voice, she immediately dashed to where I was standing on the steps and threw her arms around my waist. "Is it true?" she choked out. "Did they really take Angel?" Instant tears welled up. I had calmed down a little while helping Fang, but now it was crashing down on me as I came off my adrenaline high. They had stolen my little sister, my baby, my Angel. My only family. Slowly, I sank down to the step and buried my face in my hands, letting out a shuddering breath.

_Keep it together. No more weakness, remember? You can't break, not again_. But when I felt Nudges skinny arms encircle my shoulders, I broke just enough to let out one, single, solitary sob. "Oh, Max." she sighed. I sniffed and wiped the few tears off of my cheeks. "I'm fine." I said. "We should clean up." Fang shot me a 'we're going to talk later' look, which I ignored as I walked downstairs. I was struggling to hold back tears, but I don't think anyone noticed. Iggy and Fang helped me clear away the fallen plaster and the remains of the coffee table. Nudge huddled on the stairwell, trying not to cry.

I walked into the garage to throw out some of the shattered wood. As I was dumping it into a pile next to the trash can, I heard the door open and close again. Footsteps crossed the cold concrete floor, and more wood and glass was tossed onto the pile. Then Fangs hand was on my arm, turning me towards him. He cupped my face in both of his hands, tilting it upward so that I looked at him, running his thumbs over my cheekbones. A single tear slipped down my face. Fang sighed and wiped it away, leaning down to rest his forehead against mine.

"It's gonna be ok." He whispered. "I was supposed to protect her." I said. "And I failed." "You tried. And that's all you could do." I leaned into his chest and shut my eyes, feeling his arms encircle me. "When did everything get so hard?" I murmured. "I don't know. But it has to get better, eventually." "How can you believe that?" "Because I have to, or I would just give up." He kissed my forehead. "Nice philosophy." I said with a halfhearted chuckle. He shrugged. "It keeps me sane." I tilted my head back to look up at him. "Are any of us _truly_ sane anymore?" I asked. He gave a tiny half smile. "Probably not, at least not to anyone else out there."

I smiled the tiniest bit in return. Then it faded. "I wonder what they're doing to Angel." "Stop thinking about it." He scolded. "You'll just drive yourself crazy." "I cant." "Maybe I can help." He leaned down and kissed me softly. I kissed back, tangling my fingers in his black hair. He pulled me closer, and I went up on my tip toes. Fangs hands slid up my back, flat against my shoulder blades. He rested them on my shoulders, his thumbs lightly rubbing at the bare skin on my collar bone. I broke away and leaned my head on his shoulder. He didn't stop, he just brushed my hair away from my neck and peppered it with kisses.

When he hit a certain spot, my breath caught and my body tensed a little bit. Fang noticed and stayed in that spot. He kissed it over and over, then, probably hoping for a better reaction, he bit me. Yeah, he actually bit me. I gasped and instinctively yanked on his hair. He growled and moved his lips to hover over my ear. "Looks like I found your sweet spot." He whispered. I lightly punched his shoulder. "Shut up." I said with a chuckle. He laughed back at me.

**Iggy's PoV**

Well, clean up's all done. Nudge had long since fled to her room. She's been really closed up and teary since… well, you know. But could you really blame her? I decided I would leave Max and Fang to _whatever_ they were doing in the garage and go talk to Nudge. I'll admit, it wasn't just for Nudge. I needed someone to talk to too, and who better than my little sister? I trudged upstairs and stopped at her painted-pink door, tapping lightly with two knuckles. "Who is it?" she called, sounding worn out. "Iggy." There was a moment of silence before she said, "Ok, come on in."

When I stepped inside, the first thing I noticed was how dark it was. Usually she kept her room cheery and bright. But now it was dark, with only a dim lamp in a dark corner for light. She was curled up in a corner of her bed in her pajamas, her curly hair in a messy bun and mascara running down her face. I had expected to see her like this at some point, but I expected it to be because her boyfriend had cheated on her or because a best friend had stabbed her in the back. Not because her family was being terrorized by evil supernatural creatures that had killed her parents.

Life's a bitch, isn't it? "Hey, Nudgey." I greeted quietly, walking over to sit on her bed. "Hi." She said with a sniffle. "How are you holding up?" "How do you think?" I sighed and moved over to sit next to her, leaning against the headboard. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "I'm scared Iggy. And I miss my parents and Angel and Gazzy." I pulled her into a hug. "I know Nudge. I miss them too." She snuggled into my arms. "I bet you aren't scared though." I chuckled a little. "Think again. I'm as scared as you are. And I can guarantee you Max and Fang are too." "They don't show it." Nudge mumbled. "They're always so tough and strong. You can never tell when they're afraid."

"They're just good at acting. Trust me, they both break every so often. They just do it when they're alone, or just with each other." She sighed and leaned her head on my chest. "I can't do this Iggy." She told me, starting to choke up. "I just want my parents back." She broke down. I felt her shoulders shaking as she cried into my chest. "I know, I want them to come back as much as you do." I whispered, one or two tears running down my face. "Iggy… how are we going to beat these things?" I pulled back and looked down at her, confused. "What?" "How are we going to survive? Are we going to die?"

I pulled her back to me again. "I wish I could tell you not to worry, that we would be fine. But to be honest Nudge, I can't tell you that." She started crying harder, and I felt awful about it, but I couldn't lie to her about this. I just couldn't.

You can't lie to family.

**(A/N Hello. Longer wait than usual, huh? Sorry about that. **

**UNC-**

**Silence) **


	40. Chapter 40

**Maxs PoV**

The days passed slowly. There were no visits from any supernatural beings, I didn't have any nightmares, the doors and windows didn't magically start opening again. We were still stuck in the house, with nothing better to do but sit and watch TV, or read, or talk, or think. Iggy would talk to Nudge a lot about their parents, and she was slowly returning to her perky chatterbox self. Due to boredom, Fang had picked up an annoying habit of trapping me in his arms and kissing _every inch_ of my neck and face _except_ for my mouth. It drove me crazy, and I usually ended up playfully smacking him until he kissed me properly. It kept me distracted, at least, from thoughts of Angel and my parents and Gazzy and Ari.

It kept Fang distracted too, from thoughts of his parents. Though every two or three days, one of us would have a moment when we couldn't not think about them, and we had to cry a little. All four of us had those moments, but they passed fairly quickly and were becoming fewer and farther between. We would all have to accept these deaths eventually, but for right now the grief lay dormant. Except for in Nudge. Actually, she was probably the most mentally stable person here, considering she had let herself grieve for a decent amount of time and was healing slowly, the way she should. She was sewing her heart back together, slowly and surely, while the rest of us just put on a temporary patch and hoped it would stay.

About two weeks after Angel, Fang and I were watching TV while Nudge was having one of her mock therapy sessions upstairs with Iggy, the ones that seemed to be therapy for both of them, not just Nudge. I was curled up in the corner of the couch, and Fang was stretched out on his back with his head in my lap. I was running my hands through his hair, occasionally tugging ever so slightly just to chuckle at his reaction. I did it again, and he rolled his eyes and pulled my hands out of his hair. "Your rights to my hair have been revoked until you can play nicely." he said with a smirk. I pouted. He chuckled and sat up to pull me into his lap.

He pecked my lips once, then started kissing my cheeks, my forehead, then moving down to my neck. He was doing it again. I clenched my jaw and forced myself to pull away from him. "Your rights to kissing me have been revoked until you can kiss me properly." I said, smirking the way he had. He pouted, but finally said, "Oh, alright." and met my lips. I sank into his kiss, my hands finding my way to his hair again. Despite his previous words, he let them stay there and ran his hands up my back.

"Hey, you two, quite sucking face for a sec!" Fang and I reluctantly broke apart to look up at the staircase, where Iggy stood. "What do you want, Igwad?" I asked with a sigh. "Nudge wants to talk to you, Max." he stated. "Oh, ok. I'll be right up." I untangled myself from Fang, ignoring him silently clinging to my hand, and headed upstairs. I went to her room and knocked on the door. "Max?" called her girlish voice. "Yeah." "Come in." I stepped inside. Her pink curtains were drawn back, letting sunlight stream into the room. She was sitting up straight in the middle of the bed, wearing neat but comfy clothes. Still not quite the old Nudge, but she was getting there.

"Hey." I said, sitting on the bed in front of her and crossing my legs. "Iggy said you wanted to talk?" She nodded. "I asked Iggy this same question a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't really get it." she said. "Could you explain it more clearly?" "Sure. What was your question?"

"How are you so strong all the time? How do you always seem to be so unafraid?" I bit my lip. Apparently the fear that was almost always coursing through me wasn't always visual on my face. "Oh, trust me Nudge, I'm not." "Then how do you pretend? I try, but my emotions always crack through." she said, peering at me through narrowed eyes. I thought long and hard about my answer before voicing it. "I act strong because I have no other choice." I said slowly. "I know that if I let my mask slip for one second I'll break completely, and I won't be able to protect my friends or-" my voice broke a little here, "-my family. And the thought of that scares me more than anything else in the world."

She stared at me, her brown eyes wide. Then they filled with tears, and she launched herself into my arms. I was startled, but I hugged her securely. She sobbed into my shirt, and I stroked her hair soothingly. "Be glad you don't have to do this." I whispered to her. "Wear your heart on your sleeve and your emotions on your face, while you still can." She cried for about ten more minutes while I hushed her and whispered comforting things, just like I used to do for Angel. The thought of my baby sister made a lump come to my throat, but I forced it back. Now wasn't the time. Nudge sat back and wiped her cheeks. "Thank you Max." she said. "Fang is lucky to have you."

I just had to smile at her. "I'm lucky to have him, Nudge, after I rejected him like that." She gave me a wicked grin. "Oh come on Max, we both know he would still love you even if you rejected him a thousand times."

"She's right." I whipped around. Fang was leaning in the doorway, smirking at us. I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Stalker." He half smiled at me and sat on the bed with us. "So is this what you two have been talking about for the past twenty minutes?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. I chuckled and said, "Not exactly." "Well, Iggy just made lunch. Nudge, you hungry sis?" Nudge nodded and shot me a grateful smile before rushing out of the room. The moment she was gone, Fang gave me a devilish grin and leaned forward until I was laying on the bed with him hovering over me.

"Come on Fang, I really am hungry." I grumbled. "Fine, but you owe me later." I Smiled and said, "Deal."

**(A/N Ok, so I've gotten a couple of reviews telling me I'm formatting my paragraphs wrong. If someone could explain the proper way to do it, I'll try to get a jump on that. Thanks.**

**UNC-**

**Silence)**


	41. Chapter 41

**Maxs PoV**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

I bolted upright, my blood instantly chilled from the piercing shriek that echoed throughout the house. I shot up to my feet, already hearing Iggy and Fangs footsteps thundering on the floor upstairs. I took off up stairs. We all heard where the scream had come from.

Nudges room.

When I got there only a few moments after the scream, Fang and Iggy were already banging on Nudges door.

"Why haven't you gotten in yet?" I demanded, grabbing the door handle.

"The door won't open." Fang grunted, slamming it with his fist.

"Nudge! Nudge, let us in!" Iggy shouted. There was only silence. My heart started pounding loudly in my ears, panic was starting to rise.

"Open the door!" I screamed at Fang.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?!" He roared back. I just made an upset sound and started whaling on it harder. The door in front of me melded, until what I was looking at was the front door, watching them take away my little sister again. I knew it wasn't real, but my emotions felt exactly the same: desperation and fury. I was trying just as hard to get that door open.

Owwww. I dropped to my knees, doubled over, holding my head. Ow ow ow ow ow ow OW. I felt like my head was about to split open. An image flashed on the back of my eyelids. The girl, hung from the ceiling fan. The pain increased the longer the image stayed in my head, making several tears stream out of my eyes and pulling a whimper or two from my mouth. But what was worse was knowing what we would see when we got that door open. Nudge would be dead.

The pain suddenly spiked, and I let out a short, choked scream. I could still hear Fang and Iggy frantically pounding away at Nudges door, and I wanted to stop them. I didn't want to see the heartbreak in their eyes when they finally got in. This thought in my mind, I forced my tear-blurry eyes open and looked up, the image still seared into my brain. I opened my mouth, tears still streaming down my cheeks, when the door opened.

Slowly, almost mockingly, it opened.

My stomach sank into the floor, which I was still sitting on. Iggy and Fangs eyes widened as they saw what was inside, but I just choked again and lowered my head. There was Nudge, beautiful, caring, kind, brave Nudge, hanging from her own ceiling fan. She was held up by a sparkly scarf she had bought just a month before, and her eyes stared glassily at us, as though accusing us of not saving her.

There was a moment of dead silence. Then, Iggy lost it.

"No!" His cry was so full of anguish it made me want to cry. He and Fang rushed into the room. I stayed at the door, using the door frame to struggle to my feet. I was trembling. Fang pulled out his pocket knife and cut Nudge down and removed the scarf from her neck. They slowly laid her on the floor. Iggy was cradling her head, sobbing, muttering, "No, no, no, no." almost silently. Fang was still just kneeling there in shock for a few more seconds. Then, to my surprise, I saw his shoulders start to shake. He was crying.

I stumbled towards them. They didn't even notice I was there until I choked on another sob when I saw her. Iggy had closed her eyes, she looked like she was sleeping.

They both turned when they heard me. Iggy just glanced at me, then went back to his sister. But Fang looked over his shoulder at me.

"Go." he said. I blinked in shock.

"What?" I asked. I know, eloquent right?

"You heard me. Go. She's our sister." He had tears running down his face in a way I had never seen before, and a surprising amount of resentment in his eyes. I wanted to respond that I had loved Nudge too, but I knew that would just make it worse. So I half-heartedly nodded and staggered out of the room and down the stairs. I only made it halfway back to the living room before I too began sobbing. Uncontrollable sobbing, thats all that could be heard in every corner of the house.

All of my held in grief smashed down on me, all at once. Mom, Ari, Gazzy, Angel, Walter, Layla. And now Nudge. And it was All. My. Fault. I collapsed on the couch and just sobbed my guts into one of the cushions. I couldn't stop. It hurt soooo bad.

It felt like hours later when my tears finally started drying up. I sat up and rubbed my puffy eyes, feeling exhausted, just in time to have a still silently crying Fang stumble in and sit on the couch opposite me. He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. I hesitated, then made a move. I stood up and moved over to him, gently laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't." he snapped, knocking it away and putting his head in his hands. It felt like another blade through my already shredded heart.

"Fang..." I said nervously, not sure how he would react. I was right to be nervous.

"I said don't!" he exploded, leaping to his feet and shoving me back with all his strength. Which, by the way, is a whole freaking lot. I didn't even stumble, I just flew back several feet and crashed to the floor, hard. Right where the coffee table used to be.I banged my head against the floor so hard I saw stars. Fang didn't even look at me, he just stalked out of the room.

Slowly, I lifted a trembling hand to the back of my head, where most of the pain was. I had an impressive knot there, and when I pulled my fingers away, they were slick with blood. I started shaking harder. Fang, my boyfriend Fang, had just made me bleed. I couldn't help it, I burst into tears again. All of this, it was just too fast, too close together. I couldn't process anything.

I found myself on my feet, stumbling into the kitchen. I found my way into the massive walk-in pantry and closed the door behind me. Then I just curled up in a corner and cried myself to sleep, one phrase circling in my head.

MY fault, my fault, my fault.

Even what happened with Fang was my fault, because I had pushed him too hard when he said don't.

I hate myself and I hate my life. I wanted it to end.

**(A/N Wow, I haven't updated this story in a while! And I wouldn't have, if my sister hadn't made me watch Alice in Wonderland and inspired me to update again. Thank you, sister.**

**UNC-**

**Silence) **


	42. Chapter 42

**Maxs PoV**

Two days passed. Fang and Iggy stayed upstairs, only leaving their rooms to go to the bathroom. I stayed downstairs, letting them have their space. I didn't want to set either of them off again. I didn't bother to wash the blood out of my hair. Fang and Iggy didn't eat, and neither did I. Actually, I ended up throwing up several times into the kitchen sink. I had tried all the doors and windows. They were still tightly shut. Still no way out of this haunted house.

By the second night, I was numb. I was so, so tired. I was sitting on the couch after the sun set, swinging at knife around in my hands. It hadn't cut me yet, not that I really care whether it does or not. I heard footsteps on the stairs, and looked up to see Fang coming down the stairs. I automatically tensed up, but then forced myself to relax again and continued flipping my knife in my hands. I wasn't afraid of Fang, I couldn't be. It was my fault anyway.

"Hey," he greeted, his voice gravelly, as though he hadn't been sleeping and crying all the time.

"Hi." I replied in a quiet voice, not looking up at him. "How are you holding up?"

"Do you want the truth?" he asked.

"Only if you're willing to tell." I didn't want to push him so hard again.

"Honestly, we're both doing horribly. What about you?" I could feel his gaze on me, but I didn't dare look up.

"I'm fine." I said shortly, still flipping the knife.

It slipped. A red line appeared where it had sliced me, and my hand started stinging. It hurt a surprising amount. I didn't care. I just kept flipping, and Fang didn't notice.

"You aren't fine. You can't be fine after that." He said. His voice wasn't angry, it was concerned. Why was he concerned about me? I was fine.

Slip went the knife.

My skin was once again sliced open, and once again the blood started to flow. I hissed in pain, and this time Fang noticed.

"Max, what are you doing?" He asked, peering at me.

"Nothing." I say, but I don't stop. The knife cuts my hand again, and it hurts, but I don't do anything. Fang stood up and switched on a lamp, making me blink at the sudden light.

"Max!" He exclaimed, seeing the blood running down my hand.

"I was just playing with the knife." I said lowly. "It's not my fault it cut me." He rolled his eyes, but he took the knife from me and took my non-cut hand, leading me into the kitchen. As much as I hate to admit it, I had missed his touch these past couple of days, and it felt nice.

He grabbed a rag from the cupboard and ran it under the water, then started wiping the blood away. There was unspoken tension between us from what had happened two nights ago.

He started bandaging the cuts.

"Don't play with knives Max." he said, giving me a tiny smile. "You'll hurt yourself." I just shrugged dismissively.

He had just finished bandaging when he noticed something.

"Max, what happened to your head?" he asked, lightly touching the blood matted hair that surrounded the sore spot. Yeah, it still hurt, and I winced when he touched it.

"You know what happened to it." I muttered, then instantly regretted it. He was going to snap again. He moved to touch it again, but this time I cringed away slightly. Now I looked at him, peering up anxiously through my hair. To my surprise, he didn't look angry.

"Max... is that- is that from when I... Did- did I do this to you?" he said in disbelief. I hesitated. I didn't want to tell him yes. Unfortunately, he saw right through me.

"I did, didn't I? I hurt you." I sighed, but I nodded. His expression changed to one of uncomprehending horror. Then he was holding me tightly in his arms, rocking back and forth slightly. I was completely confused. Why hadn't he reacted like he had before?

"I'm so sorry Max. I'm so, so, so sorry. I can't believe I did that." he was whispering, stroking my hair.

"Don't be sorry." I breathed. He pulled away and frowned down at me.

"Wait. Are you blaming yourself for what I did?"

I didn't bother answering.

Fangs PoV

I can't believe it. I just can not believe it. I hurt Max. My beautiful, beautiful Maximum. She was scared of me. She blamed herself for what _I_ did to her. And you know what the worst part was? I hadn't even thought about it.

For two days, I had sat up in my room, brooding about Nudge. I hadn't spared one thought for Max. I hadn't used up even one second of those forty eight hours to think about what I did. Now it was all rushing into my mind again. How hard I pushed her, how her head slammed against the floor, how she stared at me with tears in her eyes. I had just been so... I don't know. I was angry and frustrated and devastatingly sad, but I also felt so far away, like I was still in shock.

Max was just trying to help me, and instead of holding her close the way I should have, I had hurt her. I still couldn't fully understand the idea.

I hurt Max. I hurt Max. I hurt Max.

And she blamed herself.

And I just walked away and left her to bleed and cry herself to sleep.

Still trying to force the thought through my head, I looped my arms around her waist and pulled her close to me, holding her as tightly as I dared to.

"It isn't your fault." I murmured into her hair. "It was mine, all mine, and I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I pushed you, I'm sorry I hurt you, I'm sorry I made you afraid of me, I'm sorry I made you think it was your fault, I'm sorry I left you down here all alone when you needed me, I'm just so sorry."

There was so much for me to be sorry for. The ones I couldn't say out loud, I repeated in my head. I'm sorry I didn't think about you. I'm sorry I walked away. I'm sorry I didn't care. I'm sorry I couldn't save Angel.

So far, Max hadn't responded to me. I wasn't really that surprised. I mean, I made her bleed. And if that coffee table had still been there, she would've been in even worse shape. And I probably would've still walked away, I was so angry. She had to hate me for all of this, how could she not?

But instead of saying anything or pulling away the way I fully expected her too, she put her arms around my neck and laid her head on my chest.

"Oh, God, Max. I just- can't believe I would hurt you like that." I muttered, feeling like I was on the verge of tears. I couldn't help it.

I didn't say I didn't mean it, because in that moment, I did mean it. And that is what scared me most. Was I going to turn into an abusive boyfriend? Was I going to turn into another Ari? If I did, I don't think I would be able to forgive myself. I was already having a hard enough time forgiving myself for this.

"It's ok, Fang." Max said, tangling her fingers into the hair at the back of my neck.

"I don't want to turn into one of those guys." I whispered, still not believing she fully forgave me.

"You won't. You aren't like that Fang, and you never will be." she reassured, lightly kissing my cheek. Even now, she was reassuring me, when I was the one who had hurt her, and she was the one who really needed it.

"How can you not hate me for this?" I mumbled, pressing a brief, hesitant kiss to her neck. I remembered something I told her weeks ago, back when it was just 2 days after my parents died, when we were, er- talking in the kitchen. 'I would never hurt you.' I said. And I broke that promise.

"Because as I recall, I shoved you twice and tried a third time. The way I see it, we're even." she said with a little broken smile.

"But you didn't make me bleed and then walk away." I countered.

"Fang, it's just a little bump on the head. It's not life threatening." Max is so odd. She can be in the worst, most depressed mood possible, but if you start an argument with her, she'll perk right up. I heaved a sigh.

"I'm sorry." I said for the millionth time, kissing her forehead.

"I know you are. And I forgive you."

**(A/N Yay, she forgave him! Review please. I only got two last time, and it made me very very sad. :(**

**UNC-**

**Silence) **


End file.
